


What a Bunch of Misfits We Are

by purplenerd777



Series: X-men AU! [2]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Brotp, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, POV Multiple, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Team as Family, X-Men AU - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-07-04 23:03:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15851235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplenerd777/pseuds/purplenerd777
Summary: When Matthew Cullen has been taken to be experimented on by Bartholomew Bogue, Emma Cullen begins her quest to get him back. The story follows this personal vendetta as well as the past to witness how the team broke up in the first place.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the fic that took over my life for the past 6 months! That's right, the X-men AU that every fandom needs because I'm a sucker. Also please note that I attempted to do some funky things with storytelling with an attempt at an In Media Res! 
> 
> Art for the fic was done by the ever wonderful: decoy-ocelot

Vasquez ran out into the courtyard just in time to watch Josh peal out of the gravel driveway on the motorcycle he had bought for himself last year.

His eyes narrowed in on Chisolm who stood watching calmly

Emma’s the one who ranup to him though to break the silence, “Did you talk to him?”

Nothing ever happened in their team without Chisolm knowing, that he was out here before them just proved it. “If we go now we can still catch him.” Vasquez growled as he turned on his heels kicking up gravel as he did so.

He’s stopped by Matthew placing a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place. That’s when Sam Chisolm stepped into his view, a contrite expression on his face. “What did you do?” Vasquez growled again.

He could feel Elizabeth’s powers acting up, the medallion Chisolm gave him only worked on his own after all.

“We just talked.” Sam said, his eyebrows raised.

“And? Did you try to stop him, you opportunistic fuck?” Vasquez started quietly but at the end his shout echoes around them in the twilight.

“Matthew, take Vasquez back to his room, he’s in shock.” Sam ordered, his voice level and calm, like they all hadn’t lost a teammate who wasn’t in the best mental state at the moment. If ever.

Vasquez could see the concern and understanding in Chisolm’s eyes but he ignored it. He hurt deep in his chest. Joshua is gone, and Sam Chisolm did nothing to stop it. “I’m not in shock, _cabron_.”

He shrugged off Matthew’s hand with Elizabeth’s powers and that made him take note of just how riled up he is.

Emma doesn’t say anything but brought him down for a hug. She shuddered in his grasp and he can tell she’s trying to suppress sobs of her own.

It would be just like Faraday to leave them all when they all need him.

The selfish bastard.

“C’mon.” Vasquez muttered into Emma’s hair and the three of them headed off to his room.

They left Sam alone, his attention split between them and the horizon the first member of their team had run off to.

Vasquez could recognise that he was in shock when one moment he had just entered the mansion again, and the next Matthew pushed  him to sit on his bed.

They were all silent for a while. He imagined that Emma didn’t trust herself to talk, she always lost control when she’s emotionally compromised.

And while Matthew may have been part of their friend group, and Emma’s boyfriend, he was never part of the original trio. Vasquez knew he still felt on the edge sometimes, but Josh and him had tried hard to make him feel welcome, while still letting him know he would die the instant Emma was hurt, and his body would never be found.

Vasquez began to laugh, and he was reminded of the last time he laughed when he was upset. His hand wentup to rub the medallion around his neck, and is calmed by it’s presence.

If Josh was here he would have swatted Vas’ hand away, always upset at how Vasquez would suppress his own powers.

Vasquez let out a snort at that. “Fucking asshole, _cabron!”_  He swore and kicked out at the bed across from his.

That seemed to break whatever silent truce the three of them had agreed upon. “What happened?” Emma asked quietly.

He could feel the pull of her powers and he sighed. He reminded himself that Emma couldn’t help it at that point.

He watched Matthew take her hand and his and felt his own stomach clench in jealousy at the casual intimacy between the two of them.

“Where do you want me to start?” Vasquez let himself sink off his bed and onto the floor. His and Josh’s deep conversations always used to happen in the liminal space that was the three feet between their beds.

Emma sunk down next to him, and Matthew saton her other side. She placed her head on his shoulder and sighed, “I don’t know.”

They all sat together in silence for a few more minutes and eventually heard the bell that chimed a warning for curfew for the younger residents of the mansion.

None of them bothered to turn on the lights, they’re all well too aware that what’s about to be said was best not to see anyone of their faces.

“He asked me to take away his powers.” He could feel Emma tense next to him and the normally puritanical Matthew let out a string of curses.

“Why the hell would he do that?” Matthew cursed again.

“He never said anything to me.” Emma whispered into his shoulder, but it’s loud enough for him and Matthew to both hear her.

“I guess, he said he-” Fuck words were so hard when Josh wasn’t there to pick apart his brain for him.

Emma took one of his hands in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He made an effort to take a deeper breath.

He held it for seven seconds.

And let it out for six.

He’s just gotten his breathing and heart rate under control when he remembered the last time he did this was when he had a nightmare about his powers (about Elizabeth) and Faraday talked him through the ensuing panic attack.

So instead of focusing on that he took a deep breath and told Emma and Matthew what happened.

*******

Josh had been acting weird the last few months, well more than usual.

He barely participated in conversations unless he was dragged in by himself, Emma, or Sam, and when he was it lasted only a short while before he started picking.

Picking fights, picking at them. It was a habit that Vasquez had thought he had grown out of when he was sixteen, shortly after Emma arrived, but the annoying trait was back with a vengeance.

But all of them had ignored it. In the past few months they had all gone through stressful times and just figured Faraday hadn’t been handling it well.

So they gave him space.

Usually that was what worked, but this time, it only drove him to desperation to be heard, the asshole never knew, never learned,  how to use his words, some hang up with his past and powers probably.

One night a few weeks ago Faraday had poked and prodded Vasquez into a fight he had assumed the mind reader would never touch.

He can’t remember the exact words, he had been so blinded by rage afterwards, but it was about Elizabeth, and his powers, and his deepest darkest fears.

They had been out at the shooting range, both of them practicing with their pistols, and Vasquez had to throw his gun down for fear that he might actually shoot his best friend.

He does, however, clearly remember his response, he’s absolutely certain it will haunt him until he dies, “You don’t know anything, _cabron_ , you’ve always killed on purpose.”

Another topic both of them avoided mentioning outside of talking through their nightmares in the middle of the night.

He felt Josh’s gaze trail him after he left the range.

Vasquez had been planning to apologise once he cooled off, but they were whisked off on a mission that night and it had lasted two weeks, and nowhere in that time was a good place to talk the two of them alone.

At the end of the mission it was clear to everyone just how much it had drained Faraday. They were rescuing a few mutants who were being held in an illegal lab that was doing all sorts of unethical tests on them.

The mutants were barely coherent when they finally rescued them with the help of Billy Rocks and Goodnight Robicheaux, but Faraday had near fainted at the pain and incoherency of their thoughts.

In the next week when they were back at the mansion Vasquez had attempted to be there for Joshua, but the other mutant kept pushing him whenever he got close. Josh had barely come back into the room that entire week and it was only that night that Vasquez had been able to corner him.

Josh had opened his mouth, and Vasquez cut him off before he could say anything about pity, “I just want to talk, _guero_.” He could feel the shields that Josh had around his mind, nothing at all was being projected in his direction, which was horrifically abnormal because Josh always made it a point to make his powers two way with his friends in deference of fairness.

“You’ve said everything you needed to it seemed.” Josh bit out, his eyes wild as he searched for an exit.

“And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about right now _querido_.” Josh raises his head at that one, he started learning Spanish a few years ago and he didn’t have much skill in it, but he still recognised words that had entered the popular lexicon.

But Vasquez just continued on, he would admit it later, if Josh even still could stand him. “Are you ok?”

Josh physically flinched at that one, a quick parry probably already on his lips. But he glanced at Vasquez and he must have saw something because the tension that had lined his shoulders for the past three weeks dissolved, and slowly the shields melted away as well.

And Vasquez could feel just how _not ok_ his _guero_ was. With only a brief pause to project his intentions Vasquez came in and pulled Josh to the floor between their beds.

“What’s wrong Josh?”

They were pressed so close together, that nothing could get through the tangle of limbs they were in. They had always been close physically, but the touching was exacerbated when one of them was distraught.

“I can’t-” Josh swallowed and started again. “I can still hear it.”

Vas opened his mouth to apologise, afraid that his comments had been haunting Josh since they were uttered. But Josh just shook his head, and squeezed Vas’s hand. “They were tortured.”

Vas’s heart shattered at the brokenness in Josh’s voice. While they had all figured Josh was affected by the minds of the mutants, he seemed to have shaken it off like everything else. “Why didn’t you go to Xavier?” Vas muttered into Josh’s hair, his arm squeezing to the point of painful around Josh’s shoulders.

“He came to talk to me as soon as we landed. And we talked, but it just,” He took in a deep breath and started and stopped a few times, “It’s not even the mutants’ minds that I can’t get rid of. It’s the scientists. God Ale, they enjoyed that shit.”

Vasquez didn’t know how to respond so he just sat quietly and projected as much love and comfort to his friend.

They sat that way for a few hours. The sun had started to set and cast shadows around their room.

A couple of times Josh had opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but each time Vas just shushed him.

Finally, Josh continued on even after Vas attempted to quiet him. “You could fix it.”

Vasquez froze at that. He couldn’t quite figure out the swirl of emotions that were coming from Josh. He hoped it was a kiss, he had felt so stupid at his still teenaged libido after what came out of Josh’s mouth next.

“You could,” Josh stuttered and started again, conviction lined his voice, “take away the damn mutation.”

Vasquez immediately pushed Faraday as far away as possible, and reached up to make sure his medallion was still there, not trusting the other mutant not to have stolen it while he wasn’t paying attention. “What are you talking about Faraday?” His voice shook, with anger and shame and fear and rage.

“I wouldn’t ever hear anyone’s thoughts again. I could be normal and I would still be on the team. It’ll be better for everyone, you were right I killed with my powers and I would do it again if forced, no one should be out there like me, with my mutation.” Faraday had stood up at some point in his explanation and Vasquez had followed without realising it until he was still staring Faraday in the eyes.

“How dare you?” Vasquez rumbled lowly.

And it was times like these that the difference between their tempers was apparent. They both had them sure, but Faraday’s was like lightning: brought on quickly, burning hotly, and gone as soon as it arrived. People assumed that Vasquez was didn’t have a temper like his best friend. But they were wrong, his was just like thunder: it came in slowly, and it was dark and cloudy, but when it broke it consumed everything around it.

His temper came out in full force in that argument. “How dare you ask that of me _cabron_? You can’t handle your powers? Work on it! Talk to someone! Don’t use me as an easy way out.” Vasquez was crowding Faraday’s personal space, using the additional height of his boots to loom over Faraday when they were normally the same.

Faraday made to protest, but Vasquez shoved him backwards. “You can’t handle your powers? What makes you think I can huh? And after what happened to Elizabeth? You know better than anyone!” Vasquez turned and struck at the closest object that wasn’t Faraday, which led to a sizeable dent in the drywall of their room.

Faraday, in the meantime had gone still like a rabbit that hoped if it didn’t move it wouldn’t be spotted.

Vasquez “Leave before I hit you.” He said lowly, too angry to shout any more.

Faraday’s reply rang out clearly, “You’re right, I shouldn’t have asked. I’ll leave.” And moved past Vasquez making a point not to touch the other mutant.

Vasquez stood in shocked silence for ten minutes, the door open, and the remnants of Faraday’s voice with him when he realised just what Faraday had meant by his final statement.

*******

Vas’s voice was hoarse by the time he finished recounting the events leading up to Josh’s disappearance. He had gone to get Matthew and Emma to find him but when they finally thought to look for him at the garage Joshua Faraday  was already gone and Sam Chisolm had let him go.

For a while there wasn’t any noise in the room besides their heavy breathing. Emma’s tears created  a damp patch on Vasquez’s shirt, but it didn’t matter since he didn’t bother to stop his own tears.

Matthew eventually pulled Emma into his own arms and curled them protectively around her. She struggled for a bit, something about not being helpless, but Matthew just shook his head and held her closer.

It’s well past midnight when Matthew and Emma stood up to leave, “Will you be ok?” Emma asked quietly, looking pointedly at Faraday’s bed.

Vasquez shrugged in response, “I have nowhere else to go, so.”

Emma shook her head and punched him weakly. “You can always bunk with Matthew if you need to.”

“Yeah, James is on a mission, you can use his bed.” Matthew offered.

Vasquez just shook his head, “I’ll go for a walk.”

“Take care of yourself.” Emma said, and this time he could feel the overt use of her powers, so he just let it wash over him before he turned his back on them.

He wandered aimlessly for a while before his feet lead him to the lake at the edge of the campus. He’s surprised to see another figure sitting at his favourite bench, but that surprise went away when he recognised Sam’s figure.

He continued on, figured it’s better to get the talk over sooner rather than later. “Your gift tell you I’d come here?” Vasquez asked from behind Sam’s shoulder.

The near immortal mutant just huffed a laugh, “You and Faraday are so predictable I could be a normal tactician and know you’d be here.” Sam responded, and made a motion for Vasquez to join him on the bench.

They sat in silence for a while, and it annoyed Vasquez even though it was all any of them wanted for the past few months with Faraday’s relentless pushing. The lake is calm, and reflected the stars.

“What’d he say?” Vasquez asked eventually, his gaze anywhere but Sam’s figure.

“Said he had to go.” Sam responded calmly in the annoying way of his, like he always knew best because he had been alive for over three hundred years, or because he was the best tactical genius any military has ever seen. But that wasn’t Sam Chisolm’s way. He never undersold himself, but he never thought himself better than the younger mutants he took a particular shine to. If anything he sounded calm like a father with an angsty teenager.

“And? What’d you say?” Vasquez tried to remain calm, but he could feel his jaw clench in frustration.

“Told him he’d always have a place to return to here.” Sam sighed, “He’s old enough to leave, and he’s a smart kid, we just got to hope he comes home eventually.”

Vasquez simply let the explanation wash over him, it’s not what he wanted to hear, and it’s not all that comforting, but then it’s better than nothing.

Vasquez clutched his medallion that the mutant next to him had given him and tried to  be careful about what he wanted to say. “I want to be taken off missions.”

If Sam was surprised he didn’t show it, he just nodded his head once in understanding, but Vasquez still felt the need to explain himself, “I can teach Spanish or combat or something like that.”

“Be nice to have some normal classes.” Sam joked lightly. The man heaved himself to his feet, and Vasquez could almost see how the years have taken their toll on the older mutant. “I’ll talk to Xavier about, but you have to tell Emma and Matthew.”

Vasquez nodded his head in understanding.

Sam hovered for a moment, the most uncertain Vasquez had seen the man in the four years they’ve known each other, when he finally settled a heavy hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting pat. “Get some sleep.”

Sam walked away and Vasquez relished in the stillness around him. He raised gaze and his sight settles on Hercules in the sky. He watched the sky until it starts to pink and lighten at the corner, at which point he heads off back to his room, hoping that with how exhausted he is he might be able to fall asleep without thinking of the now forever empty bed across the room.

[A Polaroid of Faraday and Vasquez with a ring of coffee around it, the two are about 18 years old, taken on a mission before Faraday left. They're both in X-men First Class style uniforms" ](http://purplenerd777.tumblr.com/private/177583520655/tumblr_pebnjxl1Fx1rj2vc4)


	2. Chapter 2

Emma’s walking with Matthew in the park when she first notices something’s wrong. There are strangers in Rose Creek. It’s not that outsiders are abnormal, but Rose Creek doesn’t have much to it’s name locally other than being one of the few places where mutants and non live together willingly with few to no ‘incidents’. And that fact alone is enough to keep most strangers out.

The next hint is that these people are all in suits and are heavily armed. It’s obvious even to Emma’s eye which had been out of dangerous missions for five years at this point.

When three of the strangers come up to interrogate her and Matthew, that’s when she finally  _ knows _ trouble had arrived.

“We don’t know anything.” Emma says. Her powers heavily lacing her words and preventing any questions from being asked in the first place.

The suited men and woman nod dully. “We’d really appreciate it if we could get an escort home.” Always better to say things like a conversation. While some friends had said she was like Obi-wan Kenobi, she knows that isn’t the case. Her powers, once they’re detected, don’t work. And a sure fire way of making that happen is to talk like some jedi. 

But so she’s not too surprised that these people are stronger than that mentally. It only confirms some of her suspicions of who they are. “Sorry, ma’am. We’re just here protecting humans against the dangerous mutants in the area. We’ll escort you home.” Emma has to resist rolling her eyes. 

When she feels Matthew stiffen up a bit she drops her hand to hold him back. Even after five years out, his chivalrous streak hasn’t gone anywhere. And they’re almost in the clear. If they can make it out unscathed they can contact the X-men and get them to deal with the problem for once.

Unfortunately for Emma, her’s and Matthew’s house were on the outskirts of the far side of town. It had been a nice lazy Sunday event for both of them to go for a long walk. But now, she has to walk past the town center where several of the town’s mutants were already being herded into a van that screamed secret government agency like it was the 90s and they were in some cheap action movie.

By the van there’s a man with a stupid and outdated cowboy hat and a handlebar moustache looking at a list and crossing names off as mutants are led into the van. Next is another man. This one is balding slightly but he holds himself imperiously enough that Emma can tell he’s the man in charge. 

“Who’s that?” She asks the woman accompanying her and Matthew. 

“Bartholomew Bogue. We’re with the government’s mutant management branch. He’s our division leader. Bit of a sadistic prick if you ask me.” The agent replies low enough that only Emma and Matthew can hear. Emma feels a chill go down her spine and she grips Matthew tighter when she feels him falter in his steps. 

Emma turns to look at her husband and then follows his gaze to where he’s looking. 

“You can’t just take these people away!” It was the town’s preacher, William. Standing up in front of an agent who was leading Angela away. The young mutant had beautiful wings that she usually proudly showed off, now they were tucked tight, almost painfully, against her sides. Looking towards the van and other mutants that weren’t being collected, it was clear only those with physical mutations were being taken away.

Emma felt sick with herself with her own relief, but she shook it off to continue watching the interaction.

“Shut up, Preacher.” Cowboy hat said as he drew a gun from his hip holster and points it as William’s chest. 

“No.” Matthew mutters. Emma brings her other hand that isn’t in Matthew’s hand to clutch at his arm.

_ Don’t _ . Emma pleads mentally with her husband.  _ We’re almost there. You can help them better by staying alive and unharmed.  _ But Emma isn’t a mind reader. She has to speak to convince people, and there are too many people around to risk it. Besides she never likes to use her powers on Matthew. 

William moves to reach out to grab Angela . The man in the cowboy hat shoots him in the leg. The thigh. Emma’s no medic like Matthew, but she knows he won’t survive a shot to the Femoral artery. 

In the stunned silence that follows Matthew breaks out of her hold on him and rushes over to where the town preacher lays in the dirt. Angela’s forced to move into the van, despite her hoarse screams.

Emma turns back to look at Matthew. No one had stopped him from approaching the preacher. The man in charge, Bartholomew Bogue, seems disinterested with the scene and turns to talk to someone else.

But Matthew’s gift isn’t subtle.

One moment he’s leaning over the prone man, nothing extraordinary. The next his hands and the preacher’s wounds are glowing and the wound closes up as if William had never been shot.

“Matthew Cullen: Unregistered. Last registered six years ago. Mutation: healing.” The man who fired the shot reads out to Bogue. The man in charge turns back and appraises Matthew like he’s only now worth his time. It makes something unpleasant and oil slick churn in Emma’s gut.

“How do you know that?” Matthew asks. His voice is clear across the silent town centre. A slight motion of his hand cuts Emma from running towards him. 

She feels a presence come up next to her and her heart leaps into her throat thinking she’s about to be carted away to be experimented on. And then who would tell anyone that Rose Creek needed help.

But when she looks over she sees Leni Frankel who’s got her own watery look on her face, and Emma remembers that her husband, Caleb, has a physical mutation. Leni’s just a human though, and there isn’t much she can do.

Leni’s presence prevents Emma from rushing over to stop them from pulling Matthew roughly to his feet and forcing him in the van before slamming the door shut and driving out of their town.

She stands numb for a while. Leni on her right as the rest of the town disperses, too beaten down to be much help.

Soon William and Teddy Q, her’s and Matthew’s younger neighbour, approaches her and Leni.

“Mrs. Cullen?” The younger man asks. “Are you going to go after him.”

Leni strikes out and pinches Teddy’s ear. “You fool. She’s in shock, let’s get you home and you can work out a plan.”

Emma shakes her head to clear it a bit before she’s being lead out of away. “What?” She asks, no longer her eloquent self with her world thrown so violently off it’s axis.

“You and Matthew are our friends, fellow townsfolk. We’re going to help you get him and all of our friends back. Lord willing.” William assures.

Emma nods firmly and follows Leni as the woman leads the way to her house. She urges Emma to sit down and is given a cup of steaming tea. She looks up and sees Teddy's concerned glance. “Mrs. Leni said to drink it all while it’s still hot.”

She smiles softly at Teddy. The younger man had become something of a younger brother to her and Matthew since he moved to Rose Creek. 

Emma takes a sip and makes a face of surprise at the taste of whiskey mixed in with the Earl Grey but she still makes sure to drink it all anyway, and finds that the whiskey warms what the tea can’t.

“Now, what’s the plan?” Leni asks as she sits down, her young son on her knee.

“Go, get my team. Get Matthew and the others. Shoot Bartholomew Bogue.”

William makes a choking noise when she mentions her plan to deal with Bogue, but Leni just shoots the older man a look in warning. 

“I’ll go with you, Mrs. Cullen.” Teddy offers.

Emma thinks, for a moment, about turning the boy down. For the sheer fact that Teddy was just out of college and he didn’t have any powers. But from the look on his face she can tell he won’t stay behind unless she uses her powers on him. And even then she thinks he’ll still find a way to follow after her.

She sighs and sets the mug down on the coffee table. “All right. But!” She interrupts his crow of happiness. “You will listen to me, and if that means staying out of a fight you will. Understand?” 

“Yes ma’am.”

“How are you getting your team?” Leni asks so practical that in situations like these Emma wonders if the woman does have a power of her own.

“I’ll have to go back to New York. I’ll take my car.” William looks like he’s going to object so she holds up her hand and explains, “If I buy a plane ticket there’s more chance that some shady government agent will be waiting when I cross state lines. It’ll be for the best that we don’t push our luck.”

She glances at Teddy, “Besides, Teddy Q. should get to go on a road trip like a normal college student.”

It’s all too easy to fall back on the joke when she feels as lost as she does without knowing what’s going to happen to Matthew, or Caleb, or Angela. Luckily, Teddy seemingly understands and gives his token protest, but Leni steps in to continue the ribbing, allowing Emma a moment to herself.

They leave that night. Her car packed with two duffle bags each and Emma’s sniper rifle she had stored away in the attic since hers and Matthew’s retirement. She straps a handgun into her hip holster and hands over Matthew’s colt to Teddy.

“You are not to shoot this until I teach you how to use it understand?” Instead of protesting Teddy nods seriously and carefully takes the gun.

She slides into the driver’s seat and Leni and William wave goodbye from the end of Leni’s driveway. Her gaze sets east and she goes over in her mind every plan of attack she has to get Alejandro back in the game.

She’s going to need all the help she can get.

*******

Emma went to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters when she was sixteen. She had always had her father wrapped around her finger, but it wasn’t until he conceded to everything as soon as she suggested it, asked for it, demanded it, did she realise something wasn’t right, wasn’t  _ normal _ .

She wasn’t sure, but she hoped when she asked her father if she could go to the place for mutant kids who need help in control, that he sent her with his own volition.

It’s a thought that kept her up some nights.

But today wasn’t for those kind of thoughts. Today was her first time in the Danger Room. 

Her and the other mutants around her age and level were gathered outside the room wearing awkwardly fitting school gym uniforms that made it feel almost like her old high school

Well, except for whatever is in that room that wanted to kill them.

Mr. Rocks, apparently in substituting while his husband was in a meeting with Mr. Chisolm, stood in front of them and he called out teams they would be put into for the session, to see how their powers would fare with other mutants.

She expected to be put in a group with a few other physical manifested mutants. Something to compliment her powers. Instead Mr. Rocks calls out, “Faraday, Vasquez, Cullen, you’ll go at 15:00.”

And they were going to be last. She’s heard of Vasquez and Faraday, two mutants who had been at the school for a while now. And while she’d never interacted with them, she heard about them enough from every corner of the mansion.

The best she could tell they have a weird… bromance? Frenemy-ship? Going on. 

Either way the two are both trouble and inseparable and Emma had been trying her hardest since she joined the school to avoid talking to them.

Mr. Rocks looks over at her and looks at her expectantly. She  _ could  _ convince him not to put her with the slightly older mutants… But the look he gave her stops that thought in its tracks.

So she walked to where the boys are standing. 

Faraday huffed a laugh under his breath and she whipped her head to glare at him. He’s taller than her, but that didn’t stop her from attempting to make him cower. “What’s so funny?”

_ Idiot. Overconfident. _

Faraday whistled lowly and takes a step back, “Now there ain’t no reason to be so feisty, Emma.” She noticed Vasquez roll his eyes and his attempt to break up the brewing fight.

Before she could open her mouth to argue she’s interrupted by Faraday again, “‘Course, I’ve had heard tell about redheads.” He cast a lewd glance her way.

Vasquez sighed and casts a glance heavenwards. 

“What the hell does that mean?” She asked as she hotly pushed past Vasquez to get into Faraday’s face, righteous fury rolling off of her. And like that she became aware of the power in her words, but she’s too angry to care. “ _ You  _ have red hair!” 

“Au contraire, my fiery compadre.” And now he’s butchering three languages, she’s bristling with barely contained anger, she knew she needed  to be careful. “I am a ginger, big difference.”

“And what’s that?” She’s aware of Mr. Rocks occasionally glancing in their direction, but he’s prepping the first group and he must think it’s not too worrisome at the point the argument wasat. 

And it’s like he goes for her deepest memories. Plucks out the exact words bullies used to shout at her in the playground, because he leaned  down, and challenged, “I have a soul.”

“Shut up!” She commanded. 

And instead of looking angry, outraged that she would use her powers on him out of class, or  _ shutting up  _ like he’s supposed to, Faraday just grinned and backed off. “Joshua Faraday, if I had friends they’d call me Josh.” He introduced and shoved his hand out towards Emma.

“What?” She asked, confused as all hell.

“You get used to it.” Vasquez shrugs.

“How come you didn’t-” She didn’t have a chance to finish her question, Faraday- Joshua? She’s not going to call him Josh, they  _ aren’t _ friends. Reached out and tookher hand to shake it.

“This is where you introduce yourself, seein’ how we’re on a team together.” Joshua said releasing her hand and turning to Vasquez. “I dunno, Vas, why don’t you try and maybe she’ll understand what’s normal ‘round here.” 

“You’re pushing your luck there,  _ guero _ .” Vasquez chided, but he turned towards Emma, his smile sharp, and put an image of a rattler in Emma’s mind. “Alejandro Vasquez.”

She smiled back and offers her hand to him, but the other mutant only eyes it wearily so she drops it. “Emma Cullen, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise!” Joshua said stepping between the two and threw an arm around Vasquez’s shoulder and pulled the taller mutant down. And Emma watched him tense, but he allowed the point of contact.

And that’s when Emma noticed Vasquez is wearing long sleeves and gloves, in fact every bit of skin, except for his face, is covered. But she shrugged it off. It’s not any of her business if it’s a cultural or mutant thing.

Then she remembered what they’re supposed to be doing while they wait for their shot in the Danger Room. “What are your powers?” 

Joshua quirked an eyebrow at her, and she could almost feel a wall closing up between the two of them.

“Easy  _ guero _ , she’s right. If we’re on a team we’ll need to do some planning.” Vasquez said giving Joshua a shake and walking off to one of the mats lined around the gym where other teams were already starting to get familiar with each other. 

“So?” Joshua asked turns around, and his grin goes feral, like a cornered dog that’s been beat too many times. He turned to glare at her, as if hearing her thoughts.

_ As if hearing her thoughts. _

“Bingo.” Joshua huffed, relaxing a bit.

“So, what does it matter if I tell you what I can do? You probably already know.” Emma shot back, not angry at him for reading her thoughts, but for being so damn difficult about the whole thing.

Instead of Joshua rising to the bait, Vasquez once again steps between the two of them, but this time, he towered over her, menacing. His posture changed and he’s defensive for his friend. “Just cause he knows doesn’t mean it isn’t polite to ask.” He ground out.

_ Oh. _

“Yeah ‘Oh’.” Vasquez bit out, but the tension in his shoulders eased and he backed off a bit.

“I can make people do what I want.” She explained after a moment or two of awkward silence. “Not like-I have to talk. And I’m working on it.” She added hurriedly not wanting them to think she made them do anything since they started talking.

“Well, you guessed what I can do. Mind Reader, can project my thoughts onto other people if I try.” He looked like he’s about to add something else, but he seems to change his mind, and motions to Vasquez.

The gangly mutant hesitated a bit then takes a deep breath and mutters, “Power absorption.” She immediately didn’t like how Vasquez shrunk in on himself she decided so she smiles at him easily and gives a shrug of her shoulders, as if to say  _ so? _ “And- I can, I can do telekinesis.” 

She’s intrigued by that, but a warning glare from Joshua stopped her from asking anything.

The Mind Reader then pauses, and looks past them. And Vasquez cocks his head curiously.

“Son of a bitch!” Joshua swore.

Vasquez, it looked like, had already guessed what Joshua is talking about, but Emma wasstill slightly on the outside of the group. “What?”

“Rocks did this on purpose.” 

The other two teenagers turned to where the substitute teacher was watching another group go into the Danger Room. And Emma swore she could see him wave at them from behind his back, not turning his attention away from the viewing window.

“How’d you figure?” Emma asked, curious.

“He, aw hell, he thinks we all need to ‘come to terms’ with our powers.” Faraday said and sat down on the mat. 

There’s not much for not physical mutants to get warmed up for but she followed suit without complaint. “Come to terms with?”

“ _ Si. _ it’s a cause Mr. Chisolm has been championing since both of us got here.” Vasquez answered as he slid down as well, but he began to do light stretches instead of lounging like Joshua. 

“And he thinks I need this too?” Emma scoffs. She had barely talked to Mr. Chisolm, she wasn’t in his history class, and he’d been on a mission when she arrived at The School, and from what she’s heard he liked to greet the, stranger cases.

Joshua had to have known what she’s thinking but he let her say it in her own time. “Oh, I’m a strange case.” And it’s like a blow to the chest. She never thought her powers dangerous before but now all the possibilities are opened before her and she could feel her heartbeat pick up.

“None of that.” Joshua groused and took her hand and gave it a strong squeeze before he released it. “I’m probably wrong, he probably just put you with me and Vas cause he figured we’d cause trouble without a  _ gentler  _ influence.”

Emma snapped her head up, and even though she recognised that Joshua was goading her into a fight, maybe to make her take her mind off things, but she’s not yet convinced he’s that considerate.

But then it does explain his friendship with Alejandro…

So she grins and pushed her fears down, “What’s that supposed to mean, you menace?”

Alejandro let out a bark of laughter and collapsed from a stretch he was doing, “ _ Madre de Dios _ . C’mon you two, let’s do some warm ups, I’m not stupid enough to think the room will only project mental things for us to deal with.” The  _ unlike you  _ was unspoken, and more than likely directed at Joshua but she went to hit Alejandro, and she could feel him prepare to flinch but she didn’t stop and he didn’t move away.

So she pushed him so he flopped back on the ground and laughed at his confused expression, “Don’t lump me together with the  _ idiota.”  _ And the last remaining tension that Alejandro had been holding onto was released with a laugh. 

“Oh, we’re going to get on well.” He smiled widely before they start some warm ups.

The rest of the teams have been and gone by the time that Mr. Rocks calls them into the Danger Room.

It took a moment for the projections to be set up. No doubt Mr. Rocks talked to Danger and made sure she won’t make it too difficult. 

From the conversations they had in the last while, this was Alejandro and Joshua’s first time in the training room as well.

Finally, a setting started to form up around them, the clinical grey tiles of the room melting into some kind of bar. 

“Your objective is to collect a watch off this man.” Danger projected a photo overhead, none of the projections taking note of her voice or the image.

“Easy.” Joshua scoffed, and Emma wanted to agree.

“Too easy.” Alejandro sighed as he glanced around the room.

Emma’s about to ask how, when she felt a strange thrum fall over her. It felt like she had cotton stuffed in her ears and she frowned slightly.

She glanced around and spots their target. She tried to open her mind to her plan to she’s formulating as she walks over, and hoped Joshua will fill Alejandro in.

But neither of them followed her, as she approached her spot at the bar, near enough to their target and the pressure in her ears got stronger.

“Vodka coke please.” She held herself higher, tried to project a sense of confidence. That yes she looks young, but of course she’s over 21.

The bartender gave her an unimpressed look.

“I’m so sorry, silly me, I forgot my purse with my boyfriend.” She gestured at Joshua who waved back eagerly. “And he forgot it in the uber.” She adds a certain pressure to her words. “You wouldn’t mind not carding me would you.”

He was supposed to just shrug, he’s supposed to pour her the drink so she could walk over and charm the target, but he doesn’t, he just laughed and said, “Young miss, if I fell for that every time I’d have lost my job long ago.” 

The bartender turned away from her and poured a drink for the target, his watch glinting in the low lighting as he took the drink. 

She’s stood there dumbfounded when Joshua appeared beside her and lea her away by the elbow to a far corner of the bar. 

“What’s happening?” She hissed under her breath, and the further away from the bar they went the more the pressure in her ears faded.

“He’s a nuller.” Alejandro replies, his face impassive, but he was tapping out an agitated rhythm on top of the table they’re standing at.

“Ok, but I thought-”

“Doesn’t have to be touch.” Joshua answered before she could ask. Then he grinned, “Looks like it’ll be the old fashioned way.”

So they came up with a plan. Emma went to the target and flirted with him to persuade him to buy her a drink. From a distance Alejandro knocked the man’s drink down, if a little more forcefully than necessary, and Joshua slipped the watch off his wrist and placed it in his pocket when he dabbed the drink off the man’s sleeve, pretending that he’s drunk and he spilled the drink.

Once the two of them were safely back at the table with Alejandro, without the target noticing anything amiss, the simulation ended with little pomp or circumstance.

“Fuck yeah!” Emma cried with unrestrained joy and her and Joshua high fived. 

Joshua turned his gaze to the viewing platform where Mr. Rocks stood with Mr. Robicheaux and Mr. Chisolm, who must have entered at some point during the simulation, were watching their performance.

“Sam, this mean I get those extra credit points?” Joshua called up at the teacher.

“Faraday, have you started studying for the test this Friday?” Mr. Chisolm replied smoothly over the intercom, and Alejandro almost burst a gut laughing at Joshua’s affronted expression.

Joshua glared at Alejandro, “Oh, sorry,  _ guero _ . One day you’ll beat him.” The taller mutant was still chuckling and Emma joins in when Joshua shoved the other good naturedly and Alejandro fell flat on his ass.

And she decided then, that the both of them may be pains in the ass, but they were going to be  _ her  _ pains in the ass.

Josh beamed in her direction, and missed the fact that Alejandro has been too quiet on the ground, before he swept his legs out from under him, and Josh ended up on the floor as well.

Emma started laughing harder at the both of them, and she missed the glint of mischief in their eyes before she was on the floor as well.

“What have I done?” Mr. Chisolm asked Mr. Rocks, his voice on the intercom exhausted at the many possibilities of problems they were going to rain down. 

But the three of them only ended up laughing harder at the old mutant’s pain.

*******

Emma Cullen enters his room for the first time in five years on a Friday. Sam heard the rumours and he isn’t surprised to see her. Even the most outrageous ones had the same common thread: Matthew had been taken, and Emma was going to get him back.

It doesn’t take a tactical genius to know that Emma was always going to come to him. 

So he isn’t surprised when she walks into his classroom. When he gets a chance to look at her, the rumours are confirmed for him. It doesn’t make him feel any better to know he was right. He likes Matthew, and he thinks of Emma like a daughter. To see her this distraught breaks him just a little bit, no matter how well she tries to hide it.

Emma’s troubles though have to wait a minute so he can finish giving his lesson to his disinterested last period class. “That finishes up the Gilded Age.” Bored teenagers start to pack away their notebooks, those that even bothered to get them out in the first place. Some have already started to stand up when he reminds the class, “That means there’ll be a test on Wednesday. If I’m unavailable Professor Logan will be available to answer any questions!” He trails off awkwardly when the majority of the class has already left.

Only Anthony remains furiously taking notes. “I won’t be taking any more extra credit assignments after 3!” The bell hasn’t gone off yet, they still have three minutes left. One student rushes back and hands in a crumpled report.

Those that have stayed behind he gives a dismissive nod before he turns to erase the blackboard. Some students give Emma a wide berth, avoiding all eye contact when they leave. Others stare up in awe at one of “Chisolm’s kids”. And some go so far as to start whispering before they’re even out of earshot.

Anthony hands in his extra credit and gives an enthusiastic wave to Emma before leaving. His father a teacher at the school he’s been so immersed in everything that Emma and Joshua used to babysit him together when Josiah was busy.

Sam turns back after erasing all the blackboard and writing Monday’s date at the top left corner. Emma’s looking everywhere but at him, taking in the changes to the room. He lets her take her time and doesn’t push. Figures she wants a moment to gather herself before making her point. She was always like that, and he had to appreciate that of his original trio she at least would stop and think about what she was going to do before doing it.

It also has something to do with her gift, he always figured. She put herself in The Institute to control her powers cause she didn’t want to make anyone do anything they didn’t want to do. 

Unless she was pissed.

Which Sam always strictly tried his best to avoid.

He gives her more time to think of exactly what she wants to say as he gathers up assignments that will need to be graded before he goes away. He winces when he sees that he still has the essays from three months ago. He really needs to get those back or Anthony might kill him.

Try to at least.

“They took Matthew.” Emma breaks the silence. Her voice is clear and steady.

Sam nods awkwardly and clears his throat before answering with: “I heard.”

“Are Red and Vasquez around?” Emma asks. As soon as she asks a skinny younger man enters the room, looking as if he’s worried he’s intruding.

The kid seems awkward. Not the kind of awkward a non-mutant looks around mutants. But, rather someone who just has yet to figure out where they belong in society.

Sam turns back to Emma. “Red’s supposed to come back from his mission late tonight or early tomorrow morning.” Sam replies, a feeling of trepidation building in his gut. “Vasquez is probably around campus somewhere. Teaching.” He reminds her.

She has never agreed with Vasquez’s response to Joshua’s decision.

“Tell me what happened.” Sam says kindly as he gestures for the other two to leave before him so he can turn off the lights and lock up. Once that’s done he starts walking towards the cafeteria.

“Some agents came to Rose Creek and gathered up the more obvious mutants.” Emma’s voice is tight and pained. “Our preacher tried to intervene and was shot.” Emma takes a deep breath then continues, “Matthew healed him. In broad daylight, in front of the agents. The wound hit an artery and if he didn’t get immediate attention he would’ve died. After that Bogue and his men took him and a few others away.”

Sam stutters in his steps at the name. A quick glance at Emma confirms that she’s too lost in her own thoughts to notice Sam’s misstep. “Bartholomew Bogue?”

“Yessir.” Emma’s friend responds when it seems like Emma didn’t hear him.

“We’re going to need more than just the four of us.” Sam says, already starting to formulate a plan and thinking about how to bring the others on board. He already knows one that’s going to be near impossible on both ends.

“Teddy’s volunteered to help.” Emma says indicating the kid. Emma throws Teddy a sour look. “He doesn’t have any combat experience, and just out of Sacramento with a degree in CompSci.” She gives the younger man a wry grin. “I suspect he’s only here for moral support.” She says as she messes up Teddy’s hair before giving him a tray of food.

Sam hums in agreement and gets his own food before they grab a seat and sit down to eat. “We need more than that, no offense Teddy.” Sam offers a genuine smile.

The boy just laughs and shrugs his shoulders. “I’m used to it the Cullens are pretty ruthless when it comes to teasing.”

Sam just laughs, because Emma was always like that.

“Who’re you thinking?” Emma asks squaring her shoulders and taking a bite of food. She ignores the whispers and stares of other students  _ and  _ teachers as she continues, “Vasquez will come. He says he’s out of the game, but he’ll help get Matthew back, no doubt about that. And Red is looking for all the experience he can get.”

“I was including them in my count.” Sam reminds her. “I was also thinking of Billy and Goodnight for starters. I’ll give Goody a call later tonight.”

Emma actually scoffs disbelievingly at that. And if she’s suspicious of that, he’s interested to see how she’ll react to his wild card. “You think Rocks will let Robicheaux do this?”

Sam nods. “Goody and Billy liked you guys and thought of all of you same as I did.” He didn’t need to say how he felt about his team. They all knew and it would only be awkward. “Billy will want to help just as much as Goody.”

Emma gives a thoughtful nod at that. “That’s still only six.” Teddy squawks to which Emma responds by rolling her eyes and saying, “Seven.”

Sam sets his cutlery down and pushes his plate aside. “I’ll ask Jack Horne. I need him to track someone down for us anyway, and he’ll be useful to find where they’re keep Matthew and the others.”

Emma’s brows furrow together. “Who do you need him to find?” Her frown deepens. “Are you sure Horne will be ok with working with Red? I didn’t think he had forgiven him for the time Red burnt down Maya’s garden.” 

Sam chuckles at that, remembering how the pyrotechnic had accidentally overshot a fireball past a target from where they were practising by the lake and it landed in Horne’s late wife’s flower garden. “Horne forgave him, he just likes to call Red out when he’s being a little shit.”

“Alright, but that doesn’t answer my question.” Emma pushes.

Sam braces himself for the backlash as he says, “We’re going to need the whole team to pull this off.”

Emma stares at him blankly, either being purposefully obtuse or truly not understanding what Sam is trying to get at. “Who from the team do you not know their location? You said Vasquez-” That’s when Sam can see the proverbial light bulb go off above Emma’s red curls. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack.” Sam replies as he stares Emma down, his dark brown eyes meeting her green.

“Vasquez won’t join if he’s there.” Emma counters. He can feel her power trying to caress him out of his decision but he shrugs it off easy as anything.

“I won’t be the one telling him.” Sam says sternly.

Emma lets out a bark of surprised laughter. “Well he won’t stay once he sees him.”

“Who?” Teddy asks. Confused.

“Joshua Faraday.” Sam replies.

Teddy just cocks his head questioningly like a confused puppy. “Emma and Matthew never mentioned him.”

Sam frowns at that. “He’s your best friend.”

Emma scoffs at his reply. “Was.”

Sam narrows his eyes. “Aren’t you seeking revenge? We’ll need Joshua for that.”

Emma flinches. “I’m seeking Righteousness.”

Now it’s Sam’s turn to scoff. “Then I suspect you’ll need all the help you can get.” He stands up and pushes his chair back as he does so. “You ask Vasquez and Red, meet us back in Rose Creek in a week’s time.”

Emma doesn’t say anything as Sam turns his back and leaves. He can already feel a stress headache coming on. But he smiles anyway. 

He hopes this will be the thing that pulls the trio’s head out of their collective asses.

*******

Billy is sitting at their small dining room table going over some bills when Goody finally hangs up on the call that had spirited him away. He didn’t blame Goody, he didn’t want to be doing them either but they always do them together.

“Who was that?” Billy asks kicking Goody’s chair towards his husband in an attempt to get the man to sit.

Goody only hums thoughtfully. Which is when Billy finally looks up from the credit card bill he had been trying to figure out and turns to look deeply at Goody. He’s looking everywhere  _ but _ Billy, which is the first clue he isn’t going to like what was said over the phone.

“Goody.” Billy prods, gently at first. When he doesn’t reply or move to sit down, Billy shoots out his arm in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it move and Billy pulls him toward his seat. 

Goody raises and eyebrow in suspicion but still does as Billy asked. When Goody does sit down, however, it’s in Billy lap. The smaller man lets out a grunt of surprise but doesn’t push his husband off. When he looks up at Goody the man has an easy smile on his face and his eyes glint with mischief.

But Billy can see behind all that. He can see the unease and tension that Goody’s trying and failing to tuck away.

So Billy wraps his arms around Goodnight’s waist to pull him closer and make sure the man doesn’t fall. He presses a chaste kiss to the sharpshooter’s shoulder and takes in Goodnight’s complexion. He’s pale and his eyes are too wide, making the man look like he’s seen a ghost. And Billy frowns at that. Because it isn’t exactly out of the ordinary, but they had been doing so well these past couple weeks and he needs to know what set his husband off again.

“Who was it?” Billy asks again, stroking calming patterns into Goody’s side.

“Sam.” Goody replies, seeming to have dragged himself out of the funk he’d been in. His grey eyes maintain steady, unwavering contact with Billy’s own and his voice is firm without a waiver to be heard. 

“What’d he say?” Billy asks, his grip tightening just a second before relaxing and pressing another kiss in apology. Goodnight meets his lips and they let the kiss linger a bit in reassurance before the Cajun stands up and wanders into the kitchen.

“He’s got a mission, asked if we could help him out.” Goodnight explains. And before Billy can bring up one of his points on the long list of arguments he has on why this is not a good idea Goody adds, “Matthew, you remember him? Nice kid, healer? We went to his and Emma’s wedding few years back.”

Billy feels his own glare weaken. Of course he remembers Matthew. He and Goodnight had helped raise Chisolm’s misfits just as much as the man himself. Goodnight had taught Emma how to shoot a rifle and gifted her the one she always used on missions. Matthew had asked the two of them if his proposal was good enough. Vasquez and Billy would often commiserate with being so far removed from their culture they grew up with. Even Faraday, little shit that he was, still maintains a soft spot in both of their hearts.

So Billy scowls slightly. Goodnight knows all of this, he just wants to pull on Billy’s heartstrings.

He didn’t think that Sam would ask for help if it wasn’t serious. But this? 

“What happened?” He asks, throat suddenly dry. A heavy weight landing in his stomach filling it with dread.

Goodnight lets out a heavy sigh as he pulls ingredients out of the fridge, leaving side dishes to be reheated or set on the table later. “Some government branch went out to Rose Creek and young Matthew helped like he always does. He was taken away when the man in charge noticed the effects of his healing.” Goodnight starts to reheat some left over rice, leaving Billy to start frying the marinated pork he pulled out.

Billy doesn’t want to ask, he’s almost afraid of what the answer will be. “Is he?” He knows all too intimately what government funded research facilities do to mutants.

Goody shakes his head. “No, no, still alive. Xavier did a search in Cerebro. Seems like he’s in a coma, but alive.” The unspoken  _ for now _ . hangs above both of them like a noose.

Billy lets out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. The microwave chimes and Goody starts setting the small table in the kitchen with the side dishes and rice.

“Emma still wants to get him out sooner rather than later.” Billy gives a hum in understanding. 

“She’s the one that went to get Sam?” Goodnight nods and comes over to make sure that Billy’s cooking is coming along fine. Billy shoos him away when the man steals a piece of pork, still sizzling from being fried.

“When do we need to be there?” Billy asks putting the pork on two plates and allowing Goody to bring them to the table.

“We’re going to meet the others in Rose Creek. Sam and Jack are going out to collect one more member in Nevada before meeting us there. Red Harvest, Vasquez, and Emma are going to head straight to Rose Creek together.” Goody answers handing Billy a pair of metal chopsticks before digging into his own food.

Billy hums thoughtfully. Already thinking of how best to take care of Goodnight when they’re back in the field. But then his brain catches up with Goody’s words and he frowns as he says, “Vasquez? Really?” He lifts a dark black naturally manicured eyebrow in shock.

The younger mutant had been out of the game longer than they had and was teaching Spanish at the Institute, barely leaving campus unless it was for an event last Billy heard.

“Come now, cher.” Goodnight replies. “We’re coming out of retirement and Alejandro was closer to the Cullens than we were.” Goodnight frowns at Billy the way he does when he thinks his husband is being purposefully dense.

Billy sighs and nods his head in understanding before spooning a bit of rice into his mouth.

He nearly spits it out when Goodnight adds, “Course Sam said the mutant they were going after was our dear Joshua, so I imagine Alejandro won’t be too happy about that.”

“Excuse me?” He asks, hoping that Goodnight does not mean the Joshua he thinks he does.

“Joshua Faraday. You remember him, cher. I’m starting to wonder if we should start adding some multivitamins that help with memory loss.” Goodnight teases fondly. “It’s been ten years, but I don’t think anyone could forget the boy after meeting him.” Goodnight plays up his dramatics tapping his chin thoughtfully like he’s thinking of the best way to describe Joshua Faraday. “Red hair, mind reader, you really don’t remember?”

Billy kicks out at Goodnight’s shin under the table and that sends the man laughing in a fit of hysterics better suited for a man half his age.

“I know who Faraday is.” Billy smiles a bit meanly but slides his foot up Goodnight’s calf to show he doesn’t mean it. “I meant who thought that was a good idea? Why is Sam bringing him into all of this?” Billy asks a frown creasing his brows. They weren’t there for the mind-reader’s departure, but Sam had filled them in on the details. Both Emma and Alejandro had taken it hard. He can’t imagine that this is what either of them needs along with a missing and tortured friend and husband.

Goody looks at him in fond defeat. “I imagine Emma will take whatever help she can get. And from what Sam said on the phone, they’re keeping it from Alejandro as long as possible.”

Billy’s frown deepens at that, he knows bad doesn’t begin to describe the plan. So he says, in the succinct way he knows Goodnight loves, for all the ways he loves the verbose elegant drawl of the other, “This is going to be a shit show.”

Goodnight chuckles at that. “I don’t know, cher. It’s been ten years, people change in less than that.” Goody’s face is serious but his eyes sparkle with an unspoken mirth.

Goodnight’s eyes always convey the truth that he tries to hide from everyone but Billy. 

Billy rolls his own. “I guess it will be interesting.” He shrugs. “But I don’t get why Sam is pushing that one. Man knows better than that.”

“Sam says Emma told him the agent in charge name was Bogue.” Goodnight replies so quietly that Billy has to rely on his mutation to hear it.

Billy lets out a tired sigh in understanding. Only one bastard of a man could get this kind of rise out of Sam Chisolm. He shouldn’t be surprised. There’s only one man alive who can make Goodnight’s oldest and best friend be this determined.

“Let’s wash these dishes and get an early night before the drive tomorrow.” Goodnight says standing up and clearing away his dishes. “You’ve still got a go bag ready?” 

Billy rolls his eyes as he gathers up his own dishes and piles the empty side dishes on top. “Yes.” He replies, even though Goodnight knew what the answer would be. 

Then, because he can be a little shit too when he wants he asks, “‘Early night’? How old are we?” He places his dishes on the counter then comes up behind Goody to wind his arms around the man's waist and trail him hands low to fiddle with the belt buckle as he pressed a deep kiss on his husband’s neck. Any marks will be long gone by the time they arrive in California.

“Cher.” Goody mumbles pointedly, but Billy can tell it’s more at the fact that he’s called them old than when he finally slips his hand down Goodnight’s pants.

Then Billy pulls back and hands Goodnight a dish for the man to start washing. The bills could wait until after they came back, dirty dishes could not.

Goodnight lets out a sigh of frustration and Billy glances appreciatively at how he can still get a rise out of his husband before waving the dirty dish at his husband.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faraday is brought in on the mission, and we see a glimpse of his past as well.

It had been a long shift. Faraday only just got off at four in the morning. Early enough that no supermarket is open. But still late enough that the little liquor shop, Pigeon Brothers, would still be.

He goes in and shoots the shit a bit with Earl behind the counter, his brother is out of town and he’s in charge of running the shop till he got back. Faraday lets the conversation meander for a bit more before getting a forty of Jack Daniels, paying, and making his way back to his car.

The bottle of Jack went to the backseat, he isn’t stupid and he has a strong sense of irony.

Still he has to park his shit car a few blocks away from his shit apartment, so he downs a fourth of the bottle on his walk.

Opening the front door that never got locked he makes it past the broken down elevator that hasn’t worked since he lived in the place and up the stairs that smelled like marijuana and vomit. 

But Faraday doesn’t mind. It had more character than any mansion or school. 

That maudlin thought shook him enough to down another quarter of his bottle. 

_ Ever notice that yer just like me? _

_ Like father like bastard fuckup son. _

Faraday shook the thoughts from his head as he walked down the hallway to his room and drank another quarter of the bottle. Look at that, the damn thing lasted to his door this time.

He fumbles for his keys for a moment only to bang his head against the wall as he remembered that he hadn’t gone by his locker at the end of his shift he was so tired. That was why Earl kept mentioning a vest. He hadn’t even noticed he still had the gaudy thing on.

So Faraday leans down and kicks his ratty welcome mat out of the way.

Only to find that his key on top of the mat. 

Faraday lets out a small string of curses. He overcomes a decade worth of suppression and lets his mutation roam free. After a quiet minute he can’t hear anyone’s thoughts on the other side of the door. 

He stands up and eases the key into the lock only to find that the damn thing is already open. Before he enters the apartment he calls, “I’ve had a long night and nothing to steal so you better get!”

When he enters the room that is his living space he shouldn’t be shocked. Shouldn’t, but is.

“Chisolm.” Faraday calls in greeting and downs the rest of his bottle as he shuts the door behind himself, leaving the door unlocked in case he needs to force the older mutant out.

“Joshua.” Chisolm’s made himself comfortable in the only chair in the apartment. Faraday eyes him wearily.

He then notices the other man in the room.  _ Bear _ , he thinks. The man has a wide potbelly and a greying beard that reaches low. When his mutation instinctively prods at the unknown man’s mind he’s not surprised to find a sturdy wall. Chisolm’s with him, of course the man got a crash course on how to deal with Faraday.

“Who’s your friend?” Faraday asks as he opened his fridge. “I don’t got anything besides beer.” He says pulling out three cans and places two in front of Sam and drinking the one for himself immediately. The fright of having thought he was being robbed made him more sober than he would like for this conversation.

“Jack Horne, you remember him.” Sam states, handing Horne a beer and cracking open his own as well and making a face at the first sip.

Faraday can’t help the smug satisfaction that no doubt is rolling off him in waves at Chisolm’s discomfort.

He remembers a time when the man was like a father to him.

_ Then fair’s fair that you made him hate you too. _

“What do you want Sam?” Faraday asks, suddenly very tired, as he sets his empty can down on the counter and drags a hand across his face pulling at weeks old stubble.

“I’m here to collect on your promise.” Sam answers, and when Faraday looks up he can see Sam is serious.

“Then you should’ve got into contact first, I have a job I can’t just drop my life because some shitty wannabe X-men need help.” Faraday bites out and resists the urge to get another can of beer.

“Then you should’ve left some way for us to contact you.” Sam challenges. “But I’m being serious here Joshua, Emma came to me needing help.”

“Emma left the institute?” He tries to make the question sound nonchalant. 

“Yeah, her and Matthew got married.” Sam informs and Faraday makes a congratulatory shrug but he’s still unsure of why Sam and a tracker for the institute are in his living/bedroom.

“Emma needs help getting Matthew back.” Jack Horne finally speaks up, and with the voice Faraday is able to place him in his suppressed memories of the institute.

Faraday straightens up, his interest finally caught. If ever there was a mission for Chisolm to ask him to fulfill his promise on, this would be it. “What happened to Matty- him?” Faraday asks, probing slightly at Chisolm’s mind to see if the man will spill anything.

“He was taken by a government agency. We’re going to get him back.” Sam informs him, standing up to meet Faraday in the eye. No doubt his probe didn’t go unnoticed.

“What, you, me, Jack, and Emma? You can’t infiltrate a government facility with only four people Sam.” Faraday says pushing himself off the counter.

“I’ve got a few more in mind.” Sam says, and Faraday can feel something suspicious lurking behind Sam’s walls. Not an actual fully formed thought. But an impression of mischief that Faraday does not like.

“Rocks and Robicheaux?” Sam nods. “Still not enough, besides you’n Billy are gonna have to watch Goodnight, he’ll hardly be any use to you.” Faraday continues, pulling out a duffle bag from a closet that has most his personal belongings in it. Maria and Ethel and a weeks worth of underwear and a change of jeans and some ratty t-shirts. 

“Emma brought a friend from Rose Creek.” Sam responds. Faraday can still feel that undercurrent of emotion, and it’s distracting him. But he’ll ignore it. He’s good at it now.

“Mutant?”

“Human.”

Faraday lets out a groan in disgust. “Sam, we cannot do this. This is-”

“Impossible.” Horne puts in.

“That! Even your X-man think it’s a suicide mission, Sam. Is this really how you want to convince me?”

“The kid who replaced you: Red Harvest.” And didn’t that rub him raw, that someone came up and slid in to fill his spot on the team as soon as he was gone. Like his leaving didn’t affect anyone.

Faraday lets out a hum. He’s already packed, but might as well let Sam and Horne think that his life isn’t so pathetic that he can leave for a mission he doesn’t want to go on in a minutes notice.

“And Alejandro.”

Faraday nearly drops his duffle. He does sputter a bit and blanche. But at least his shock isn’t so obvious.

That being said, Jack is flinching like somethings pressing up uncomfortably against him so Faraday slams his own shields back down to where they belong.

“Vasquez?” Faraday asks.

“Yessir. Nine people. That ain’t too shabby if you ask me, especially since five of them are used to working together.” Sam says. The man has an impressive dark eyebrow raised in a challenge.

“I won’t be responsible if I get shot.” Faraday warns.

“Won’t let that happen, Joshua.” Chisolm assures. “Now are you ready to go?”

“Sure. I’ll call my boss and tell her I quit.” Faraday motions the older mutants to leave the apartment first. He casts a glance around and shuts off the lights and locks the door even though he has a strong feeling he won’t be coming back.

*******

Joshua was almost thirteen when he first heard someone else’s thoughts.

His father was on his way to blackout drunk and forgot that he had more alcohol stashed away somewhere in the house, so he forced Ma to get in the car with him.

And it hit him. How drunk his father was, the rolling madness in his mind, that despite being so hazy wasn’t that hard to decipher. The fact that his father would kill his mother.

And Joshua said nothing.

A couple hours later, Joshua was guiltily enjoying the silence that his father being out of the house brought, the police knocked on the door. They explained to him what happened. He could hear their thoughts as well, and it started to get  _ loud _ .

_ Poor kid- _

_ Seen this before- _

_ Drunk of a father- _

_ End up in the system- _

_ Too bad there’s no proof- _

Joshua started crying. It wasn’t not even over the death of the only person who’s loved him, though that’s what the cops were thinking. It still took him a while to realise that those thoughts weren’t his own.

The officers tried to comfort him, but he was nearly thirteen, no longer really a child, but he still should have been one.

Instead they brought him in to the station, where they tried to work out next of kin. The next day his father came to collect him, with not a scratch on him and the haze of booze cloying his breath and mind.

Joshua heard his thoughts before he even enters the station. 

The nice secretary who had been looking after Joshua when he got in gave him a sympathetic look.  _ Poor kid, only thing that man is good for is dying. _

Well now that was a good idea.

His father placed his hand on Joshua’s shoulder, too hard and restrictive to even appear parental. He bade the officers farewell and had Joshua walk into the car in front of him.

Joshua didn’t have a lot of time to play with these new powers, mutations, Ma had told him quietly, still afraid even though the man wasn’t in the house. But he guessed, this mind reading might be able to go two ways.

It was on his thirteenth birthday, not that either of them make mention of it, that Joshua finally figured out how to push the one way street into two. The past few months had been hell on him, having to listen to the bastard’s thoughts nearly 24/7 but it sure did help make this part easier.

“Can we go to the cemetery?” His father was in the quiet place of drunk. He never stopped drinking, but sometimes he got to that sweet spot where a request didn’t immediately end with a bottle to his head.

_ Fuckin kid, never wanted him, should be dead  _

“Why?” 

_ Could just leave him on the street.  _

_ But- _

_ Control. _

“See her.” The fewer syllables the better, but he managed to thrust his thoughts that he created at the older drunk.  _ You want to say goodbye, you can drop off the kid after that’s done, never see him again, be able to get drunk in peace- _

The man waved a hand like he’s shooing away a fly, “Get the keys.”

The drive to the cemetery was quiet, with only one stop when Joshua  _ thinks  _ that the man should get more alcohol.

_ Can’t send the damn kid in to get it, Dale will just have to deal with me- _

Once the liquor was acquired, a bottle of Jack wrapped in a brown bag, the cap opened easily enough and the old man downed it between arguing with the news on the radio, talking about new laws protecting mutants.

_ Only good mutant is a dead mutant. _

Joshua doesn’t spend long at his mother’s grave. A quick goodbye and apology, his hand resting on the headstone. “Eleanor (Faraday) Tanner 19XX- 20XX”. It was as much he could convince the bastard to get her.

Steeling himself he walked back towards the car, already projecting the haze around the man behind the wheel, make him feel more drunk than the liquor could in this amount of time.

Besides, the Jack was just for evidence later.

When the man ran into a tree, Joshua didn’t expect to live, he welcomed the silence that came when he slipped away.

Unfortunately the world was still a cruel place, and Josua survived. 

The cacophony of sounds in the hospital made his head ring, and the grief tingling all the thoughts of the patient’s families, the callousness that shrouded the doctors and nurses minds just to get through the end of the day, makes him an unruly patient.

Eventually he was deemed fit to leave and shucked off to an orphanage.

The kids’ thoughts there are depressing as all hell, and he can’t help but be mean and say exactly what they are most afraid of whenever one tries to befriend him.

He became known as the freak at the end of the hall, and the sisters would barely talk to him either.

One day a man came, and his mind is so old, Joshua at first thought it was his mind playing a joke, that he’d finally cracked.

But he kept up the act, “Sam Chisolm?” The older man looked impressed, but not much beyond that.

“You were told I was coming?” Sam Chisolm asked, though he doesn’t appear like he agreed with what he said.

Joshua can’t get much more than an impression of the surface thoughts of man, and he had a feeling the man was projecting them towards Joshua’s own mind, making it easier to read than it may normally have been.

So Joshua conceded with a shrug of his shoulders. His hands were in his pocket, he’d already learned to appear confident especially when he doesn’t feel it.

“You do that a lot then? Know the answer before someone gives it to you? Get impressions of the future?” Sam Chisolm glanced around Joshua’s room, it wasn’t much, he didn’t take anything with him from his past life, ‘cept for a picture of him and his mother on his tenth birthday.

“Can’t see the future if that’s what you’re asking.” Joshua concentrated a bit more, but follows Sam Chisolm’s line of sight. “What’s a school for gifted youngsters?”

When Sam Chisolm smile turned a bit bitter, it’s when Joshua realises he doesn’t want to be known as someone who can hear others thoughts. “It’s a school for people like you.” Sam Chisolm answerED, and Joshua could feel, if not hear, the thoughts of the old man who’s gone soft even if his exterior is still stony.

“I ain’t gifted.” Joshua snorted.

Sam Chisolm raised a dark eyebrow and suddenly Joshua was flooded with a painful rush of thoughts and memories. It wa like a riptide that threatened to drag him below the surface. Joshua felt himself stumble back when the torrent was gone almost as immediately as it came.

Joshua blinked a couple times and tried to get the calm back that he had before this man came and shook up the rocky worldview he had built for himself, by himself. “What the fuck are you?” He asked before he could think of the possible consequences

“ Mutant, just like you.” The man said with a huff of laughter, too old to care if a thirteen year old used a swear. “Well,” he admitted, “not quite like you.”

Joshua glanced around the room, as if he really had a choice then shrugs, “Not like I got much goin for me here anyway.”

The nuns don’t take much convincing as soon as Sam Chisolm uses the words ‘Mutant’ and ‘Xavier’.

_ Lord forgive me thank you- _

_ Strange little creature- _

_ Good riddance _

And then, coming to the forefront, and overpowering the thoughts, was a presence that Joshua came to recognise as Sam Chisolm’s. He couldn’t make out the thoughts, but he could tell he was at least gonna be welcomed wherever he was headed.

And ain't that some shit. 

The car ride was long, but at one point, when Sam Chisolm stopped at a drive thru to get some food Joshua asked, “What do I call you?”

The older man barely glanced over, “You know my name.”

Joshua stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth, “Yeah, but you didn’t say what you wanted to be called.” 

_ Didn’t ask me my name either.  _

Joshua must have projected that particular thought because Sam Chisolm goes, “I’m a teacher at The Institute so in class you should call me Mr. Chisolm, outside of that I don’t care much. And you?”

Joshua was suddenly taken aback. “What?”

“What do you want to be called?” 

Joshua knew the name on his birth certificate, that his mother gave him his given name, but he got the bastard’s last name. Then, he thought if he was going to move on: “Joshua Faraday.”

He could feel Sam’s surprise and then understanding. “Faraday, good name.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I'm back with regular internet so we'll see how posting goes shall we?   
> Comments give me life xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to how Vasquez came to be one of Chisolm's Misfits, and an unwanted guest arrives at The Cullen house.

Vasquez is smoking a cigarillo outside of Emma and Matthew’s house when the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He glances around, and the only thing different is Sam’s car coming down the driveway.

“Sam’s here.” He calls gruffly through the screen door.

“Hey Alejo, get in here and help me with dinner.” Goodnight calls from inside.

“What? No, I just started this.” Vasquez grumbles but he still snuffs out the cigarillo and leaves it unsmoked in the ashtray anyway.

Vasquez crosses through the house and physically feels Matthew’s absence. He hasn’t visited since his two friends moved, but he’d spent enough time with the two to know that Matthew was the more organised of the two. All of their gear is strewn about the living room and no one has yet to complain about it and ‘put it in its proper place’ like Matthew would’ve done.

Alejandro shakes his head and enters the kitchen. Billy’s sitting at the table sharpening his impressive collection of knives. Emma’s also sequestered herself in the kitchen, keeping herself busy.

“What?” Vasquez asks to the older mutant’s back.

“Hmmm?” The Sharpshooter asks absently.

Vasquez looks towards Billy for help, but he's un-surprised that he finds none. “You wanted help with dinner?”

“Did I say that?” Goodnight asks, his back still turned, and Vasquez turns to Emma to roll his eyes in exasperation. 

“Where’s Red gone?” Vasquez asks instead, taking a seat and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Miffed that Goodnight interrupted his peaceful smoke, but knowing if he left to pick it back up Goodnight would complain.

Emma nods to the door off the kitchen. “Went to meet Sam and Jack.” He’s no empath but he can still tell his friend has been tense all day. Vasquez had assumed that it was due to them being in hers and Matthew’s space. But now he’s started to wonder if it’s something else.

“What-” He begins to ask, but something presses up against his mind and he shivers. 

Glancing towards the door he sees Sam first. For being in a car for who knows how long he’s still remarkably put together, like always. Jack Horne stands off to his right, and Red has taken to leaning against the door frame.

He can feel the strange presence in his mind retreat as if it was slapped away.

“Did you get who you-” Vasquez starts but he’s cut off by seeing…  _ him _ .

“Sit down boys,” Goodnight calls, clearly reading the room and the tension in it but deciding to ignore it anyways. “Dinner’s just about done.  _ Cher _ , did you set up the table like I asked?”

Billy’s also chosen to ignore the elephant in the room and turns to his husband. “That’s why you called Vasquez in.” Billy looks at Vasquez and his eyes are alight with something akin to mischief.

“That’s right-”

“Why the fuck are you here?” Vasquez bites out instead of paying attention to the others.

The ginger-haired man scuffs his right boot against the left and shrugs his shoulders. “Sam called in a favour, said Matty’d been taken.”

Vasquez glances at Emma. She’s still tense, but she doesn't seem  _ surprised. _ “You knew?” He asks, now content on ignoring the other mutant.

That explained the once familiar presence. 

He remembers then about the shielding technique that he didn’t have to use for ten years and slams his walls up none to gently.

Emma sighs and rolls her eyes, setting the salad she had been working on down in the center of the table. “Yes, and this is why I didn’t tell you.”

“What good is he going to do-”

“Vasquez, enough.” Chisolm orders when he finally grows tired of Vasquez’s justifiable anger.

Vasquez takes that time to make his mind known in Spanish. And at Faraday’s flinch, feels a wash of vindication and smug satisfaction wash over him, and he’s proud that the emotions are all his own.

Goodnight places dinner on the table. It looks like some kind of stew. “Alejandro, I asked you to set the table. Dinner table is no place to be doing any of this.”

He looks around the room and the others, save Faraday, all meet his eye clearly indicating how unimpressed they are.

“Fine.” Vasquez stands up none to gently and his chair rattles a bit. But still, he gets the dishes out and hands them to Red who sets the table.

Everyone waits to begin eating while Jack says Grace, though only Goodnight and Sam lower their heads.

Vasquez piles his plate high and digs in as soon as possible. Emma’s sat to his right and Red to his left, so there’s no where that Faraday can get into his space, leaving the other mutant to slide into the only seat left open, which just so happens to be directly across from Vasquez.

He makes a point to eat as grossly as possible. It’s petty, but nobody said he wasn’t. 

The others try to make small talk, but both he and Faraday stay out of it.

“-Vasquez?” Jack says his name as if he’d been trying to get the mutant to answer him for a while.

“Sorry, what?” He tears his eyes away from Faraday’s own green.

“I said, do you want to go with me into town tomorrow?” Jack’s high reedy voice was strong even if his gaze kept flickering back between Alejandro and Faraday.

“Yes, but why?”

Emma’s elbow catches him in the ribs. “Talk to people in the town and see who gave us up. I’ve convinced every registrar who came looking for mutants that there were none. Whoever gave us away had to be someone in town.”

Vasquez gave her a blank ‘so what?’ stare.

Emma just rolls her eyes and goes back to eating. “You’n Jack aren’t known in these parts and neither of you scream mutant.” Sam explains wiping his mouth with a napkin, catching the crumbs that had gotten stuck in his beard along the way. 

“Why not send the mind-reader out then?” Vasquez growls pointedly, avoiding looking in Faraday’s direction.

He can  _ feel  _ Faraday’s eye roll and looks up in time to see the mutant make a “dont ask me” face and pull a swig from a flask Vasquez hadn’t noticed before.

“We need him elsewhere.” Goodnight says sternly, and that’s the end of that conversation. 

Vasquez gives a nod, but he makes sure to be nonchalant. He isn’t sure if it counts if he’s trying though. He finishes his dinner as quickly as possible and stands up, leaves his dishes at his spot and makes his way out to his abandoned cigarillo. He can have his vices too.

He hears Goodnight’s grumble about his dirty dishes, but Jack tells him to leave it be.

The sun’s already sunk below the horizon by the time he finally takes a deep pull of his smoke. He leans on the railing and takes another deep drag and lets it out slowly. Enjoying the way it settles in his lungs and the feel as it escapes his mouth as he sends off smoke rings into the horizon.

He’s concentrating on the taste of the tobacco and the smoke rings that he doesn’t notice Emma’s joined him until she’s by his side. “You got a spare?”

Vasquez glances over at her and takes in her frazzled state. Her hair’s pulled back into a messy bun and she has deep unsettling bags under her eyes. He nods and hands her over his half smoked cigarillo. She makes a face but puts it up to her lips and takes a deep drag anyway.

They stand in silence for a while before Vasquez can’t help but break it. “You knew?” He gestures to the house where the man Vasquez wants to forget most is.

Emma sighs out smoke and rubs her head like she’s got a migraine. “I came out here to forget about it can we-”

The screen door makes a shuddering sound as it’s pushed open only to slam shut before whoever was going to come out does. Vasquez can feel a prickle of a familiar presence leak out behind the other mutant’s mind. “ _ He’s drunk _ .” Vasquez swears in Spanish.

He remembers the first time they had tried alcohol all together. They had bought it using Emma’s gift and Faraday had smuggled it back to their room where they met with Matthew and Vasquez. Matthew had been shocked, but it didn’t take any of their powers to get him take a deep pull. He sputtered harshly at the taste but didn’t spit it out. Unsurprisingly Emma had handled the burn best out of all of them.

And Faraday.

Faraday had cackled when Vasquez spat out the alcohol. Which was unfortunate for the mind reader since it then led to the bottle of crap wine being pushed in his direction. Faraday had eyed it like it was going to bite him but drank some anyway. Or, it looked like he did.

The other mutant always had a knack for sleight of hand.

Later that night, after Emma pulled Matthew back to his room, as they lay in their separate beds, Faraday had slid down into their discussion spot. 

Vasquez didn’t grumble, it was very rare Faraday initiated these kind of talks. And that was when he had talked about his alcoholic father, and how he killed the man. He told Vasquez how he was terrified he was going to turn into the abusive asshole and how he wouldn’t touch alcohol ever, and how he hoped Vasquez didn’t think him  _ weak _ .

“ _ Hijo de puta _ .” Vasquez swears pulled back from his memory when Emma nudges him none to gently and allows him to finish off his cigar. 

“Right? He looks like a mess. Sam had to take Jack to track him down because he didn’t tell anyone where he went or even give a phone number.” Emma grumbles, picking at a piece of splintering wood on the railing.

They stand outside until the moon has risen and the stars come out, the temperature’s dropped a fair bit and Vasquez starts to shiver. 

When they enter the house again Emma nods and goes off to the master bedroom. Vasquez doesn’t need to know her as well as he does to recognise that she won’t get any sleep until Matthew is back.

Vasquez had claimed the guest room upstairs, but he’s worried that Faraday will have gone to the extra bed there so he sits on the couch in the dark until he can be sure whoever is bunking with him has fallen asleep.

“You seem out of it.” Chisolm calls from the light of the kitchen, standing at the threshold of the two rooms. 

Vasquez scowls and glares at the older mutant. “Really? What gave you that idea?”

Sam lets out the sigh he always reserves for his team. “You aren’t being subtle. You might want to hold onto the vitriol for the people who deserve it.”

Vasquez eyebrows climb to his hairline. “I’d say he deserves it. What’d you have to do to convince him to come?” 

Sam just shakes his head and heads for the stairs. “Get some sleep, Vasquez. We won’t be any use if we spend our time fighting amongst each other.”

Vasquez is about to chase after Sam and demand an answer when he’s interrupted by a slightly slurred voice. “He asked. Made me promise when I left that I’d come back if he had a job for me.” Vasquez near flinches at the voice but then is reassured with his chances when he sees the mind reader using the wall to hold himself up. The other mutant nods at the couch Vasquez had been previously occupying. “Anyone claimed that yet?”

Vasquez shakes his head, refusing to trust his voice. Faraday nods and pushes himself off the wall only to stumble the five steps to the couch and lands face first without taking off his boots.

Vasquez feels a need well up in his throat to ask his old friend if he needs his help. But he slams that thought down along with the idea that the man was ever his friend.

“Don’t be pissy if we wake you up in the morning with a hangover,  _ cabron _ .” Vasquez sneers as he makes his way up to his room, not waiting to see if Faraday would reply.

*******

Alejandro Vasquez was fifteen when his oldest sister was seventeen. When suddenly, Elizabeth’s guitar string snapped and she let out a string of curses that their mama would skin her alive for thinking. 

Then, out of nowhere, a mug halfway across the room from either of them flew through the room and crashed against a wall.

Alejandro had been looking for a reason to stop his geometry homework, but he hadn’t wanted it like that.

Elizabeth stared blankly at where the mug landed, it was a favourite of their younger sister and Alejandro could  _ feel  _ the tension and stress in the room ratchet up when his textbook went flying out from under his elbow and is thrown against the door shortly after. 

Their mother called up at them in angry Spanish,  _ zapatilla  _ thrown in one too many times than Alejandro thought was really necessary.

“ _ Are you doing that?”  _ He whispered, scared that anything louder would startle Elizabeth.

Her deep brown eyes met his own and were brimming with fear at herself, and maybe even her younger brother.

“ _ I think so. _ ” She whispered back, her voice quivering over the Spanish vowels before she threw her guitar away from her and pushed herself as far away from Alejandro as possible “Alejo-”

He knew she was scared. He too remembered the story of how their abuelo had thrown out their uncle when he came out as a mutant. But he rushed over to embrace her in a hug all the same.

His arms were starting to get too gangly for the rest of his body, and it was remarkably easy to wrap his older sister into a tight hug. 

He pulled her head onto his shoulder, her dark brown curls got into his mouth, but he didn’t care. She was his role model since he was young, he was her  _ sombrito  _ throughout all their childhood, and she was upset, and if there was anything comfort he could provide he would give it all.

“ _ Well, _ ” he whispered, “ _ you won’t need Papa’s help to zip up your dresses anymore. _ ”

That got a watery laugh out of her.

They sat in silence for a few moments, and eventually, tentatively Elizabeth raised a hand in front of her and her guitar shakily rose back onto the bed.

“ _ Incredible _ !” He breathed in amazement as his older sister explored her powers in the privacy of her room.

He was so amazed by his sister, at her new gift, that he didn’t notice the weird tingle that centered from the points of skin to skin contact the two had.

When Elizabeth started to slump further into his side he just figured that she was getting tired from exploring her new powers. He tried to suggest easier things to levitate, his pen, her guitar pick, a shoe on the floor.

It’s when she slid off his shoulder and nearly fell off the bed did he realise anything was wrong.

“ _ Elizabeth? Elizabeth? What’s wrong? Mama! _ ” He’s had his hand on Elizabeth’s forehead, checking for a fever like she did so often for him.

His mother shouted back in Spanish, angry, thought that he called her to break up a fight. “ _ Something happened!”  _ He was sobbing, nearly hysterical and he still couldn’t figure out why his palm that clutched Elizabeth’s wrist was heating up, or the back of his hand on her head.

He thinks she had a sudden fever.

He really wanted to believe that’s what it was.

But when his mother finally opened the door and stared at him in a panicky horror, he knew instantly that’s not what it was. “ _ She just- she has- and then- Wake her up!”  _ Alejandro cried in desperation.

But instead of moving towards him to see why Elizabeth wouldn’t wake up, she backed up, “ _ Oh Alejo, what have you done?”  _ She asked, as her hand went up to clutch the crucifix at her neck.

“I didn’t do anything.” He pleaded, he wanted his Mama to comfort him in a way he hadn’t needed since before he was ten, but she just kept backing up. “ _ Call the ambulance.  _ Do something!  _ Mama, help her!”  _

That snapped his mother out of it, and she realized just how distraught her only son was. She took a deep shaky breath and walked carefully over to Alejandro and pulled him off her sister. He fought her, tried to get back to his sister, but instead he’s sat down on the chair at the desk while his mother checked on Elizabeth.

“ _ Mija _ , dear?” Mama put her hand on Elizabeth’s pulse and waited. 

And waited.

And waited.

She let out another sob and Alejandro made a rush for his older sister. But Mama intercepted him. And curled herself protectively over him, her chest heaving. 

“ _ Mijo,  _ what will we do?” Her words and the fact that Mama wasn’t touching him skin to skin made him feel like a tub of ice water was thrown on him.

“I, she-” He took a breath. “She threw-- she made.  _ She got powers, so I was comforting her, I wanted to help. _ ”

Despite everything, his mother shushed him and rubbed small circles on his back, though he could feel how tense she was with his body sagged against her’s bonelessly. “ _ Two children with gifts. _ ” She breathed. 

Alejandro sprung back immediately, “I did this?” He asked, his voice hysterical and he could feel his pulse pick up as his breaths came shallower and shallower. 

Mama reached out for him but he flinched away like she did when she first saw him. And he knew why. And he couldn’t understand how she would even want to comfort him. 

As if she knew what he was thinking she pulled him in by the collar of his shirt, and he’d him tight him as he sobbed. “It’s alright, we’ll call your uncle, and he’ll help. Don’t worry, Alejo. It’ll be fine.”

She pulled out the house phone from her apron pocket and dialed a number so assuredly he dimly wondered how often she did it. 

She brought them to the bathroom, and Alejandro felt so lucky that his father and his two younger sisters were out at a practice for… 

He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember where his youngest sisters were, and what they’re doing. And he killed Elizabeth, she had so much time left, and he killed her. 

His mother pushed him onto the toilet and told him to put his head between his knees. But it didn’t help, how can she not-

“ _ Alejandro Miguel Javier Vasquez, you either calm down or I’ll give you a reason to panic _ .” And that’s when he began to laugh hysterically, until his breathing almost stopped completely.

She’s still threatening after all that had happened. Her only son killed her oldest daughter and she’s still treating him like nothing happened.

She knelt in front of him, still on the phone, still speaking quickly and hushed to who he can only assume is the mutant uncle he never met before, and pulled his head to her chest.

“ _ Gracias Miguel _ .” She said, and he couldn’t believe he never realized how close his mother still was to her brother who was supposedly cut out of the family thirty years ago.

“ _ Are you listening, Alejo?”  _ Alejandro nodded against his mother’s chest.  “ _ Your uncle is going to come and get you. He’s an hour away so you’re going to pack your things. Your sisters don’t get back until eight, I won’t tell them what happened.”  _ She grabbed his long hair she had been threatening to cut earlier that day, and tilted his head to look at her watery eyes, “ _ You can’t come back. Your father and sisters, I’ll tell them you ran away.”  _ And there she finally cracked again.

She stood up and expected Alejandro to follow, but he couldn’t be sure if his legs would hold him if he tried. “ _ You need to pack _ .” He still didn’t move. He just stared at his hands, the hands of a murderer. Finally his mother snapped at him, and that prompted him to move.

Except his room is across from Elizabeth’s and even with the door shut, he knew what’s behind it. With barely any warning he threw up the contents of his stomach. 

But, his mother was there behind him and told him she’ll fix it.

She said something about making a believable story. And his stomach rolled again.

The next hour passed in a blur, and he dimly wondered if he’d have to worry about geometry proofs where his uncle was taking him. 

The four days after that passed in a blur as well, and while normally he’d be a menace in the car for as long as he was, his mother’s last words to him still rang in his ears, “ _ Be safe, I love you.  _ I don’t blame you.”

The thought was still turning over in his mind when his uncle, he still hadn’t gotten his name, but he looks like Mama, and he seemed to be a good man (mutant), pulled up in front of a large gated mansion and parked. 

“Where are we?” Alejandro asked, the first real sentence he said in a while.

A tall man with dark hair and skin, and eyes that look like they’ve seen too much answered him, “Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.” 

Alejandro looked at the man wearily, “Alejandro Vasquez.”

The man nodded his head in his direction, “Sam Chisolm.” Then he turned to his uncle and they talk about him, in hushed voices, but he could still vaguely hear them.

It was almost summer and even in upstate New York it’d started to get warm, but that didn’t stop him from pulling the hood on his hoodie lower and shoving his hands into the pocket as deep as they would go. 

“Oh good, we’ve got a Mexican.” A ginger haired boy called out, and Mr. Chisolm’s head whipped over in their direction, and shot a warning glare in the other boy’s direction.

“And who are you,  _ guero _ ?” Alejandro asked darkly.

The other boy laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “No need to be rude,  _ hombre _ .” And the way he butchered it, it was like he wanted to get a rise out of the skinnier teen. “Joshua Faraday.”

He waited expectantly in front of Alejandro and eventually he gave in and sighed, “Alejandro.” He paused, then because the white boy did he gave, “Vasquez.” 

He thought he heard Mr. Chisolm mutter a brief prayer before he stepped in between the two teens, and said goodbye to Alejandro’s uncle. When the other mutant got into the car and drove off, Mr. Chisolm made a motion to clap Alejandro on the shoulder, which the young mutant shied away from. “It’s alright, son. Now c’mon let’s get you to your room.”

At first they walked away in silence, when suddenly Joshua spun on his heels and pointed an accusatory finger at Mr. Chisolm like he was about to argue with the older mutant, but the man just laughed and continues on ahead. 

“It’ll be good for you, Faraday.” Mr. Chisolm called, and Alejandro realized then that he really should have run when he had the chance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shortish chapter is short, they'll be getting long again. And remember, this is all written out I just have to get off my butt and edit it before posting. (Comments help me edit faster, yes I'm a comment-slut)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Red's POVs in this chapter, but no flashback. Jack reminisces and Red becomes an official Misfit(tm).

Jack wakes early. Earlier than Sam with his seeming lack of a need for sleep, and earlier than the nightmares that wake Goodnight.

So he walks as quietly as possible down the stairs of Mrs. Cullen’s house for a man of his girth. And is surprised to be greeted by a mutant already awake and puttering around the kitchen. 

Jack, knowing a thing or two about jumpy fellows, clears his throat before entering the quaint kitchen. He’s surprised to see that it’s Faraday up and about. The younger mutant gives him a nod in his direction and continues staring at the coffee pot like it will brew faster that way.

“There enough for me?” Jack asks, pulling down two mugs and handing one to the other man.

Faraday nods. “Figured people might start getting up soon.”

Faraday pours a coffee into his mug then gestures and Jack gives a nod of thanks before the boy pours him some as well. Faraday goes and sits at the table, his back to the wall and with a clear view of the door to the backyard and the one to the living room.

It’s strange, Jack thinks, that someone with the ability to read minds, feels the need to protect himself from a surprise attack.

“Cream or sugar?” Jack asks, to fill the silence, because that’s another thing he doesn’t care for much since he lost his wife and son.

But when Jack turns around to offer the two, Faraday already has the mug lifted to his face and is drinking it like its his salvation. The boy puts the mug down and sighs in what seems to be contentment, but no man who drinks coffee like that, Jack thinks to himself, can be content.

“That’s a no then.” Jack answers himself aloud as he spoons in one sugar and stirs in some cream.

Faraday lets out a soft chuckle. “Sorry bout that. Bit of a mess this early.” 

Jack hums in agreement. And leaves his coffee to cool a bit before turning around to rummage in the fridge that Mrs. Cullen told them all they could use. “Breakfast?” He asks.

There’s no verbal response so Jack turns to see the young man staring into the bottom of his mug.

“Hm? Ah yeah, if you don’t mind.” Faraday replies, shaking his head before standing to pour himself another mug.

“Bacon? Eggs?” Jack asks, he’s not fussy, but he knows that kids these days have more dietary restrictions or special diets. He never understood vegan, but he would respect it and not make fun of it like others of the same age. 

Not that he pegged Joshua Faraday for a vegan. But still, people liked to be asked. And what he knew of Joshua Faraday before the man left The Institute, the mind reader preferred it that way.

“Whatever.” He answers. So Jack simply decides to make a spread and when people wake up they can take whatever. He gets a griddle out and starts to melt butter on it. 

“Start making toast.” He orders Faraday, because he refuses to be the only one working when there’s another functioning body around.

He doesn’t see if Faraday makes a face, but he feels some… annoyance that isn’t his before it’s reeled back in like the owner is ashamed. Still, he gets up and opens up a loaf of bread and puts two slices into the toaster, and leans against the counter.

By the time they have enough breakfast food to feed an army and have both piled their own plates high Faraday finally seems to be in a more sociable mood. More akin to what Jack remembers from the boy’s time at The Institute.

Jack says grace, and Faraday is kind enough to at least be silent while he does so, even if he does sneak a piece of bacon when he thinks Jack isn’t looking. 

“How’d Chisolm convince you to leave Maya for this suicide run?” Faraday asks before shoveling eggs and bacon into his mouth, using his toast as a utensil.

Despite the shields, Faraday must detect his sadness because he sputters a bit before trying to backtrack. Jack just shakes his head. “Happened after you left, wouldn’t expect you to know.”

Faraday frowns at that and continues eating, the silence once again taking over the kitchen.

It’s broken when Sam finally enters the room. “Morning, gentlemen.” He spies the breakfast spread and breaks out into a wide grin. “Knew there was a reason we brought you, Horne.” Sam says jokingly and Jack lets out a good natured laugh.

Out of the corner of his eye he watches Faraday retreat back into himself.

“You got any plans today, Joshua?” Jack asks, leaning back in his seat and placing his napkin on his dirty plate.

Faraday just shrugs. “Whatever Chisolm tells me to do.”

Chisolm rolls his eyes as he sits down. “You’re not a prisoner, Josh. Free to go anytime.”

Joshua scoffs at that but doesn’t make any other indication that he’s going to reply.

They all sit in silence for a few more moments before Faraday pushes his chair back, places his plate in the sink and leaves out the back door before Sam or Jack can say anything.

Jack shoots Sam a questioning look, but the man just shakes his head.

His question is answered when Vasquez and Mrs. Cullen enter the kitchen. They both seem tense, as if expecting to run into trouble, but relax once the look around the room.

Jack frowns, he remembers when the trio was just that. A trio. They were inseparable and caused many older mutants more than a few headaches. 

“Breakfast?” Vasquez asks, making a beeline towards the stove and piles a plate high with everything.

“Slow down son, it’s not going to run away.” Jack reprimands as the lanky man stands and eats over the counter rather than sitting.

“He’s a stomach on legs.” Mrs. Cullen explains.

“He’s gonna get sick if he keeps doing that.” Jack frowns. 

Vasquez opens his mouth to defend himself but is cut off by a, “He’s going to make me sick if he keeps doing that.” Goodnight calls from the doorway. Him and Billy are both slightly disheveled but neither of them seem awake enough to care. Goodnight asks something of Billy in Korean and the man nods before sitting down as Goodnight putters around and makes them both plates of breakfast and coffee.

Jack’s heart pangs the same way it always does when he sees a couple acting so free with their affections.

A quick glimpse at Emma shows the young woman’s mood is also soured at the happy couple’s scene. But neither of them say anything. Jack simply because he knows its best to let people enjoy the time they have together. He doesn’t pretend to know why Emma says nothing and plasters a small fake smile onto her face.

“You ready to go soon?” Jack turns and asks Vasquez. 

The man pauses with more food already halfway to his mouth. “Sure.” He shrugs but something still seems to be bothering him.

“Teddy Q is going to help you boys.” Sam says,placing his empty mug of coffee down with a firm hand. “He’s Emma’s friend.” He explains to Jack. “And wants to help recover townsfolk that were taken.”

“Ah yes.” Vasquez snarks a frown and pinched look on his face as he lets his dishes clatter into the sink. “A tracker, a non-mutant, and me. This is the perfect team for this job.”

Jack frowns slightly. He’s known Sam since he arrived at Xavier’s, and he’s never known anyone to question the man’s tactics. It just wasn’t something you did to someone with a mutation for it. Especially not one who’d been alive for almost three centuries.

Sam sighs, “I’ve got another job for Faraday, and since you’ve made it clear you won’t work with him, I’ve got you on this.” 

Vasquez mutters something unflattering in Spanish before leaving the kitchen. It’s then that Joshua reappears. His head is ducked and no one can meet his eyes. 

He turns to Emma, “Where’s the bathroom?” His voice and posture aren’t subdued… so much as expecting to be hit or yelled at.

Emma just points towards the stairs and says, “Door at the end of the hallway.” Faraday nods jerkily and grabs his duffel before heading up. 

Emma lets out a sigh and pushes her dish away before making her way outside.

“This is going better than expected.” Goodnight says. At first Jack thinks the man is joking, but a closer look indicates that he’s well and truly serious, and Jack frowns at that.

“Goodnight.” Sam warns lowly, prompting the sharpshooter to put his hands up in surrender.

“How is this going to work if they’re all like--?” Billy asks gruffly, indicating the trio by gesturing broadly at the room.

Sam sighs and puts his head in his hands. “We need them all to pull this off.” After that statement no one questions him.

Billy stands up and collects the remaining dishes and starts washing them while Goodnight dries them off. 

Jack heaves himself out of his seat and heads to the front porch, figuring he may as well enjoy the nice California weather while he waits for Vasquez. 

A little while later, a car pulls up the driveway and a young man gets out. He looks greener than Red Harvest and a few years younger as well. 

“Hello!” The kid calls cheerfully, waving as he gets out of the car.

“Good morning.” Jack returns, “Teddy Q?”

“Yessir.” The boy responds. 

“Just waitin’ on Vasquez, and then we can head out.” Jack explains and gestures to the other chair on the porch. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself while we wait.” Jack offers smiling in an attempt to offset his bear-like appearance.

The boy nods and sits down in the chair and talks about his major and when he graduated, why he moved to Rose Creek.

“Let’s go.” Vasquez says gruffly pushing the screen door open with more force than needed.

Jack gives a nod and a lazy stretch before standing up. Then he turns to Teddy. “You’re the local, where should we start?”

“Gavin owns the only bar in town, may as well start there.” Teddy replies, seemingly happy that someone asked his opinion. 

“Alright.” Jack says nodding as he gets into the passenger seat, leaving Vasquez to scrunch all six feet of him in the back.

Teddy and Jack spend the car ride talking while Vasquez stares sullenly out the window. Jack sighs and prays that whatever problem is causing the tension gets solved soon. He was never one to do well with family fighting. 

*******

Red Harvest has spent most of his time in Emma and Matthew’s house trying to stay out of the way. He likes Emma, knows they’re past the point of just being teammates and are friends, even if they only spoke rarely in the past five years after her and Matthew moved out West.

But there’s a tension around the house that’s winding Red up enough that he feels his fire burning something fierce in his gut. And the feeling’s only gotten worse since Joshua Faraday arrived.

Red remembers the mind reader from his time at The Institute before he joined Sam’s team in his place. He was loud and obnoxious, but the other three members of the team had been fiercely protective of the mind reader. When he left, however, his name became something of a curse. In spite of the Joshua Faraday sized weight hanging above the team when he joined.

It had taken a long time for Red to prove himself.

And he doesn’t want to have to do it again.

Staring at the mutant that led to Red being where he is, he can’t tell what to make of the man. On one hand, he knows how powerful and dangerous mind readers can be. On the other, Joshua Faraday is still drunk even though it’s only nine in the morning and he’s got a glazed look in his eyes.

His build is that of a man who used to workout everyday only to stop abruptly and never pick it up again. Red can see where the muscles are lying under the mind reader’s bulk, but it makes Red question why Sam even brought the man back.

But Red knows better than to question Sam, even if Vasquez seems to have forgotten, and he stands and listens as the tactician runs over what he wants them all to do.

“Joshua never worked with you, Red, so we just want to get him acclimated to your powers, and teach you a few shielding techniques.” Sam says glancing periodically at the older mutant and then back to Emma and Red.

“Alright.” Red says then turns to Emma. “Where’s the place I’m least likely to set fire to your house?”

That brings a surprised chuckle out of Emma, and Red smirks inwardly. She points at the gravel driveway so Red makes his way over, stretching a bit before taking a calming breath and looking at Sam who gives a reassuring nod.

Red’s mutation isn’t as powerful or dangerous as mind reading or persuasion, he doesn’t think. It also only tends to be useful for getting in and out of fights, and burning down things that shouldn’t be. But Sam’s helped him the past ten years, bringing it into his fighting technique and figuring out ways to exploit it to his advantage.

He’s much better at controlling it than he was when he first came to The Institute twelve years ago, when he was fourteen, but it can still get out of control if he's not careful.

He throws two fireballs up towards the sky and let’s them land back in his hands. He combines them to make a bigger flame then funnels it out away from him. With a strike there’s a flash of heat and he’s pushed back by the pressure. 

A few more fancy moves, nothing too complicated, Sam calls out, “Stop holding yourself back. Show him what you can really do.”

Red mentally rolls his eyes, but does as he’s told. Centering the flame in his gut down towards his feet he pushes a few feet off the ground and hovers for a few moments before flying straight at Faraday and stopping with a flaming fist only two inches away from the man’s face. 

Even with Faraday being drunk, the man doesn’t flinch, just raises one unimpressed eyebrow and seems to lean into Red’s space like he’s daring him to actually land the hit. That shocks Red so much so that his flames extinguish like a bucket of water was thrown on his person. He lands ungracefully for him, but for anyone else, he assumes, it looks like he’s still in control.

But Faraday lets out a bark of laughter and gives Red a knowing smirk, and Red wants to hit himself for how oblivious he let himself be for a moment. He’s been doing missions longer than this  _ taibo _ but the idiot still has a leg up over him, just because of his mutation.

Faraday doesn’t respond to his thoughts though, just keeps smirking at Red like he’s thought of a particularly mean joke.

“That’s enough, Faraday.” Sam orders and the pressure that Red hadn’t noticed until it was gone; disappears. The anger that was building in him also dissipates and he feels shame and embarrassment acting like a teenager who just manifested rather than a young adult confident with his mutation. 

He looks over at Faraday and sees a hint of mischief and something else, something sad and hateful, though not directed at Red, he thinks. 

“What do you do?” Red asks, taking a few steps back and closer to Emma, even though he doubts she’ll step in between them.

“You already saw it.” Emma spits. “You’re better off learning how to shield yourself and then he won’t be able to do that again.”

A thunderous expression crosses Sam’s face, but before the near immortal mutant can say anything Faraday answers placidly, in direct contrast to what Red thought of him. “Mind reading. Easy to get through and see what people are already thinking and heightening it.” The stocky mutant shrugs. “That’s a lot of what I did when I was still doing missions.” Emma stiffens beside Red. “Kept it so people didn’t remember we were there, made them look the other way, kept look out.”

Red nods, turns to Sam. “How do you shield?” He’s trying not to antagonize Emma or Faraday, but he figures that’s impossible so he ignores them both in favor of their mentor.

Sam rubs the back of his neck and lets out a deep strained sigh, it’s clear the morning isn’t going as well as he hoped it would.

“Just imagine a wall.” Emma answers in his place.

Faraday snorts, “That must be why yours were always so shit.”

Red can feel the air become charged with tension again and it only takes him a moment to realize that it’s Faraday’s mutation at work. Red swats it away like a fly with his mind, and Faraday immediately looks like he himself has been struck, and more than a little impressed, before returning to his neutral, infuriatingly calm, look.

Red hums in understanding. 

“ _ Shut up _ , Joshua.” Emma snarls and that makes Red go tense. Emma rarely uses her powers, she has the most control on her mutation over anyone he has ever met, and he never thought she would use it on a friend, former or otherwise. 

But Faraday just smirks like he’s spotted a challenge that he’s actually interested in. “Now, why didn’t you do something like that when your  _ husband  _ was taken?”

Sam steps in between the two old friends but it’s not enough to stop Emma shouting, “ _ Get lost _ !”

Even though it wasn’t directed at him, Red has to focus on keeping his feet from moving to follow the order. Faraday looks like he’s been slapped again, but this time affected by it. His jaw works but his feet still take a few tentative steps before he starts to turn around to go into the woods, but he’s stopped by Goodnight standing behind him.

“Easy, Faraday.” The Cajun mutant orders calmly.

That only seems to set Faraday further on edge. “Why don’t you show off, Robicheaux?” Faraday all but snarls 

“Faraday!” Sam barks.

The ginger haired mutant rocks back on his heels and shakes his head, his previously expressive face shutting down. He turns away from Goodnight and stares Red dead in the eye, “Just focus on something else. It may feel like a wall,” he shoots Emma a hard glare, “but it’s more that you’re only projecting one thing at me.” He shrugs non-committedly. “I can only read surface thoughts.”

Red dips his chin in a nod. Faraday looks around at the others then turns and spins on his heel before walking into the woods. 

Goodnight looks like he’s going to follow the man, but Sam stops him with a shake of his head. He then turns a disapproving gaze onto Emma.

“Don’t you reprimand me, Sam.” She snaps before entering the house.  

Billy and Sam both give a sigh of defeat. Goodnight looks over at Red and gives him and appraising once over. “Welcome to the maelstrom that is Chisolm’s misfits.”

Something akin to his powers warms Red’s chest. And he realizes that he had been on the outskirts until that moment. None of them had considered him enough of the group to let him see their faults and fights. As disconcerting and unsettling as it was, its still the last step of the induction into being considered an adult, and a true member of the group.

He keeps his face neutral, but Sam smiles softly in a paternal way, and nods before heading off into the woods after Joshua.

Red shakes his head a bit and turns towards the porch. “You want Billy to teach you how to throw knives?” Goodnight asks, clapping both hands on Red’s shoulder and shaking him a bit.

Red glances at the other mutant’s husband and frowns slightly. Then shrugs and says simply, “Why not?”

Goodnight lets out a hearty laugh and Billy just smirks and that’s when Red thinks he might have just gotten himself more in over his head than he ever could with Emma and Faraday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is broken up differently than I originally intended it, which is why the story has gone from 13 to 14 chapters. Thanks to everyone who comments, and reads each chapter. Let me know what you thought of Red and Jack's POV because they have been the hardest to write lol
> 
> Also posting this because I finished the first chapter of the Witness Protection! AU I got a plot bunny for (is that something fanfic authors still say or did that die along with lemons?) and want to post all of the BB before I start posting that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission where everything dissolved. Sam confronts Faraday and is saddened by the mindreader. Faraday purloins a bottle of alcohol from a recent college grad human.

They were a little young to start going on missions, all of them only 18. Well, except for Sam, but Faraday didn’t count the near-immortal. He wasn’t really there for the mission, he was there to step in if things got out of hand.

And their first mission did. Spectacularly.

It wasn’t some stupid test in the Danger Room to see if they could work together without their powers. 

It was actual X-men level work. Well. Almost X-men level. Charles wasn’t that much of a pragmatic asshole to send in barely legal adults to fight against The Brotherhood.

Beside him Alejo bumped their knees together. He’d come along way in the past three years with his aversion to touch, though Faraday strongly suspected it was only thanks to the medallion Sam gave him earlier in the year. Faraday wasn’t too sure about the strange silver object that absorbed Alejo’s original mutation, but Emma only teased him for it. 

And at least the relief Alejo clearly felt was worth almost anything that could happen down the road.

“You’re thinking too much,  _ guero _ .” Vas chided bumping against him again.

“Didn’t think that was my problem.” Faraday huffed, before leaning back in his seat.

He watched Emma and Matthew across from them, and he felt the urge to barf not only at the PDA but also at the sickeningly sweet thoughts they were both constantly being consumed in. 

Faraday wanted to walk around, get up and pace or at least get out of range, but that wasn’t an option in the small one team dropship they were in. 

He instead settled for pulling out his worn deck of cards and shuffling them before fanning them out and glancing at Vas expectantly.

Vasquez sighed and picked one instead of arguing. But Faraday could hear the fine traces of pity that rattled around in the other mutants’ head behind his strong shields. It got easier to ignore though, with his focus directed on the cards and his sleight of hand.

Some other students have complained that Faraday cheated by knowing what the card was, but that’s irrelevant. It was never  about knowing what the card was, it was always about the skill of it. 

_ And distraction _ . 

Faraday could hear Vas gear up to talk about the mission, but he allowed him to ask the question, he was trying to ignore thoughts right then anyway. “You remember the plan?”

Faraday rolled his eyes and artfully pulled out Vasquez’s Ace of Spades from behind his back. “Now, I’m getting some mixed signals here,  _ muchacho. _ Either, you think I’m thinking too much, or that I’m too dumb to remember a plan as simple as get in rescue some DNA and get out.” 

Vasquez huffed a laugh.  _ Not what I meant, Josh  _ he chided. 

In reply, Faraday pulled off another impressive shuffle because he knew what Vasquez meant, but no he wasn’t nervous about their first mission. 

Before Alejo could get the chance push him again, Sam’s voice carried from the front of the ship. “Put the cards away Faraday, drop site’s coming up.” 

“Maybe I wanna see what kind of tricks I can do mid-air.” Faraday shot back, always quick and easy with Sam, whose mind is too old, too difficult to ever be able to get the drop on.

From across the aisle Matthew, who’s finally put some space between him and Emma said, “You better not. I’m worried enough as is you’re not gonna be able to land properly.” 

If it was anyone else, and if he wasn’t so scared of Emma, Faraday might have considered paying back Matthew with mentioning some particular thoughts he just had about the redhead sitting next to him. But it’s not and he was so he just flashed an easy grin, “Ah you’d miss me too much Matty.”

Matthew rolled his eyes at the nickname, but Faraday had one for everyone. Besides, the thoughts that swirled in his mind were fond and exasperated, not annoyed, so he took it as a testament to how much Emma’s beau actually did care.

“Alright,” Sam interrupted, ever the kill joy, “get your gear.”

They already had it by their feet so it’s more a matter of standing up and strapping in. They knew that Sam knew that, the man just was looking for a chance to act the put upon guardian he loved to play. 

The old mutant looked over them and sighed with a fond look that made the wrinkles by his eyes deepen.

“This like sending a kid off to the first day of school?” Faraday asked.

“C’mon Josh, let’s have one nice moment please.” Emma teased.

He glanced at her and released a burst of air akin to a laugh, “Sorry Ems, not in the job description.”  
The hatch at the back of the plane opened and Vas shouts, but he doesn’t have to, Faraday could still hear them all loud and clear, “What job?”

_ When do you care about responsibility, eh  _ guero?

Faraday elbowed Vas in the side and rushed out the back of the plane and jumped, hooting as he did so.

He could hear the fond outrage of his teammates as they followed after him. And despite what the others were saying, he could feel the general impression Sam’s thoughts, and yeah, they’re pretty similar to what sending a kid out of their own for the first time probably feels like.

_ Not that you’d know that brat _ .

Faraday shook his head to clear the one voice he can never get rid of and focused his attention to the task at hand.

Without any agreed upon signal, the four of them open their parachutes and glide down. 

Matthew’s the only one who landed a bit rough and Faraday wasn’t at all ashamed when he sent an impression of how smug he was to the biokinetic. 

_ Laugh it up _ . Emma thought at him. 

It certainly made stealth missions a hell of a lot easier that he could hear and pass along thoughts to his teammates. Faraday mused even if so far everyone had only used it to rag on him. 

But when Vasquez glanced back at the four of them and his frown could be seen in the darkness, Faraday straightened up and settled into mission mode.

With a nod at Vasquez they all made their way to the lab. It wasn’t anything dangerous, and the scientists that work there weren’t really concerned with mutants, but no one ever easily gives up an opportunity to study mutant DNA.

Especially DNA that belonged to the oldest living mutant who survived through his regenerative healing.

Sam Chisolm sure managed to surprise Faraday even when they’d known each other for five years.

_ Emma, stick to the perimeter, and shoot anyone with a gun. Vas and I’ll go in and it hopefully it won’t take too long. _

Emma nodded, her sleep rifle moved from being slung behind her back to resting easily pressed up against her shoulder. Matthew eyed her wearily, the dark haired mutant ever the pacifist, but Faraday made sure to send over the mental impression of an appreciative low whistle in her direction.

_ Get on it then _ . She thought, and makes the thought pointed enough to cut through the various other thoughts flitting about him. 

He gave a thumbs up then him and Vasquez were off.

With Faraday’s mutation they make it easy enough to the vault where Sam’s blood is kept. The scientists were all overworked too notice Faraday’s mutation brushing up against them, or two young mutants as they made their way silently to where the blood was kept. 

Vas shot Faraday a smug grin when he unlocked the vault not using any mutations, but the hacking skills he picked up too easily in Faraday’s opinion. 

But Faraday still held his breath as Alejo called upon Elizabeth’s telekinesis to bring the blood over without tripping any alarms. When the blood was safely in hand, Faraday bumped their shoulders together in what he hoped was a reassuring manner and Alejo managed to give a small appreciative smile in response as he pocketed the vial.

They exited the lab as quietly as they entered, but Faraday couldn’t help but to project their success and his excitement to the others.

Really, he should have known nothing in his life ever goes smoothly by then.

_ DOWN _ ! Emma thought as loud as she could, and without thinking to even pass on the thought he grabbed Alejo by the scruff of his neck and hauled them both to the ground. 

A shot rang out, and Faraday could feel the mind he wasn’t previously aware of shut down.

With the echo of Emma’s shot still ringing in his ears, Faraday glanced over at Alejo. But one look at the other mutant, as he curled in on himself, clutching his arm in pain, made his entire body shiver.

There were few things in the world that Faraday still feared, and anyone in The Mansion could tell you losing Alejo or anyone else on the team was it.

_ Move _ ! Emma ordered through Faraday’s panicked fog, and Faraday struggled to pull himself up and Vasquez followed.

The pain in Alejo’s mind was minimal. Alejo’s curses were loud in Faraday’s ear. And the silence around them is deafening even as Faraday stretches as far as he could and found nothing. But he still kept his hand latched onto Alejo’s collar and hauled him as close as possible. And the other mutant didn’t complain even as Faraday bumped into them.

Nonetheless they made it back to where Emma had hid herself, Matthew hidden below the tree.

_ Matthew, I swear that if you can’t- _

“I’ll be fine.” Alejo groused at the same time Matthew approached him, hands out, uncertainty mixed with determination as he glanced to where Faraday listed into Alejo’s sighed as he pushed his mind  _ further _ .

“But-” Emma pulled Matthew back and shook her head firmly at him.

“Let’s go.” Faraday grunted, gesturing for Emma to take point, and pushed Alejo gently at Matthew, who took the weight easily. Even as Alejo struggled to carry on by himself.

With Faraday’s mutation stretched beyond its usual limit, like a rubber band pulled to the point of snapping, he kept hypervigilant even when the drop ship came into view. 

The walk back seemed to take forever and when they finally arrived Faraday could feel himself shaking at the exertion of expanding his mind and sifting through every thought that crossed his path, but it was worth it to arrive without any more trouble.

Sam waited at the bottom of the ramp, and he looked impressed until he noticed Vasquez’s blood stained sleeve and he immediately straightened his expression. And they’re all escorted onto the ship, with Faraday bringing up the rear even when Chisolm tried to get him on before him. 

Faraday was dimly aware of a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before Sam walked by on his way to the cockpit. “Matthew, see what you can do to stop the bleeding for now, we’ll get him to the infirmary as soon as we land.” Sam ordered.

The ramp was closing up, they were in the air and Faraday was still extending his mind as far is it would go, and beyond, to make sure no one followed them.

_ Guero _ . Vasquez thought crashing against Faraday’s conscience like a wave breaking on a wharf. And that finally cut through the rest of the shaken fog he had been stuck in.

Faraday turned back to face the rest of the ship and finally noticed that Emma was distraught from her seat where she’d buckled in. Then his mind caught that she’d been trying to get his attention since they got in the ship.

Sam came out of the cockpit and eyed Faraday suspiciously but all the younger mutant does is avoid eye contact and sit next to Emma rather than his usual seat by Vasquez.

_ Not your fault  _ quie-. Vasquez thought before he slipped unconscious from Matthew’s powers and the painkillers that he must have been given at some point.

And Faraday  _ knew  _ what it felt like for Vasquez to fall asleep, there’s only so much privacy he could get when they share a room after all, but after missing the guard he doesn’t trust his powers and he almost called out when Emma winced, and he realized how much he’d been projecting while he searched.

“He’s alright, son.” Sam soothed, and Faraday finally snapped back to the present, the rubber band lost some elasticity and Faraday could feel a shift in the mutation.

But it was easier to focus on Alejo, it always was. “He- I can’t-”

“I just put him to sleep.” Matthew said from his place hovering above Vasquez. “He was starting to panic when you weren’t responding to Emma.” 

Faraday refused to look up from his hands.

“You did good Joshua, Emma says she barely saw the guard before he was right on top of you.” Sam praised. His voice and thoughts were firm, leaving no room for Faraday to protest. 

Faraday  _ shouldn’t  _ be able to read Sam Chisolm’s thoughts.

Faraday breathed out heavily and then nodded, not trusting his voice or his mutation at the moment. 

Sam gave one brief dip of his head and then stood up and went back to the cockpit.  _ To let Xavier know how it went _ . 

_ Badly. _ Faraday thought to himself. 

The rest of the trip went by fairly quickly and Faraday didn’t even notice that he’d followed the others into the infirmary until he was assaulted by the thoughts of everyone there.

Emma gave him an unavoidable backbreaking hug before she left, and Matthew followed after, a gentle reassuring smile on his face..

Sam forced Faraday into a seat by the bed Vasquez was in, and mentioned something about coming to check in later.

Faraday pulled out his deck of cards and practiced tricks. He made the Ace of Spades dance in and out of his hand and deck. Each time the face of the card greeted him once again he sank further into the chair and closer to sleep.

He’d almost fallen asleep in the chair when he could hear Vasquez’s thoughts clearly again and he sat up in the chair, his deck of cards falling to the floor with a slap.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Vasquez offered with an apologetic smile barely visible in the dim light.

Faraday shrugged, “I wasn’t asleep.”  _ I’ve been waiting for you to wake up, I’m so sorry. I should have known-- _

_ I’m fine _ . Vasquez thought, his one thought overriding Faraday’s own.

_ I know. _ Faraday thought back, as he hoped just by thinking it strongly he truly would understand. But, Vasquez just continued the same thought over and over until Faraday felt himself slip deeper into the chair.

“You’re gonna be pissed when you wake up here in the morning.” Vas teased low enough that Faraday had to strain to hear even as he pretended to snore deeply. But in retaliation he still shoved Vasquez with one of his boots that he has resting on the hospital bed.

You’re _ fine _ . Vas thought moments before Faraday actually managed fall asleep.

*******

It doesn’t take long to find Joshua. Even without seeing the younger mutant for a decade he still figures most of his quirks haven’t changed. He smiles slightly when he’s proven correct by Faraday leaning against a fallen tree. But, before Faraday can notice his presence he schools his expression into something more neutral. 

Faraday, however, doesn’t look up like he normally would. Or normally for ten years ago, Sam supposes. 

Sam’s shielding himself sure, he’s done that since before he met Joshua. 

Xavier had always told him that older mutants minds are too dark and complex to fully understand without an inevitable headache. But even with the shielding, Joshua always knew when someone was there. After his first mission he knew more than Sam thought he could ever possibly manage.

When he’s been there for a minute and fails to catch Joshua’s attention, Sam coughs.

Joshua’s head jerks up in surprise even as he tries to flatten his face back to the blank neutral expression he’s worn since Sam and Jack picked him up in his shitty apartment in Las Vegas. Tucking that observation away for later use, Sam waits for Joshua to curse at him with vitriol, and demand to be left alone.

Instead, the mind reader sighs and stands up, so that he looks down at the older mutant. Another thing Sam missed when Joshua went away. Though it’s probably for the best, Faraday would have been insufferable the moment he surpassed Sam’s height.

“I’d apologize to Emma, but I doubt she’ll listen to me.” Joshua says, without any bite or stubborn pride, and easily cutting through Sam’s thoughts.

Sam struggles to find something to say in Joshua’s presence, one on one. f It’s the first time they’ve been truly alone together in a decade. Before, when the man had acted this way, Sam had assumed he was just being closed off in front of Jack, as he never liked strangers. When Sam came out to follow him however, he was expecting the same boy he had first collected at an orphanage fifteen years ago.

Instead, he’s alone with a stranger, and Sam doesn’t quite know what to do with it. He coughs awkwardly and tries to think about how to best handle the situation he’s found himself in. 

“I’m not here to make you do anything.” Sam says finally.

Joshua scoffs, but doesn’t say anything. His hands are resting on his hips and his entire posture is wide open. Sam knows better than to underestimate the man before him, however. Or, at least, he would have years ago. But now, now he sees a tired man who’s only fighting because that’s what people expect of him. 

Sam sighs, he knew getting into this that the original trio were going to have problems. But he never expected to find a broken mutant in that one room apartment, so far into the bottle he had to be hiding from something. Neither did he expect that Alejandro and Emma would still blame Joshua for leaving.

“If you just told them-” Sam starts.

“Ha!” Joshua laughs, meanly and in that instance Sam can see that kid that he first met in an orphanage. Alone in the world, and using everyone’s thoughts to hold them as far away as possible. Alejandro had been the one to finalize the initial temperament that Sam started, and Sam’s caught up in thinking about what he needs to say to the nullifier mutant to help him pull Joshua back.

He’s caught off guard when he’s brought back to the present by Joshua’s mean sneer. “They don’t want me here Sam. And I can feel enough that you ain’t exactly thrilled either”

That straightens Sam out of his tactical analysis, and his next sigh is practically a growl. “Faraday, you better get your head out of your ass or you’re gonna find you truly are alone in this world.” That causes a reaction.

Just maybe not the one Sam was hoping for.

Joshua looks like he’s been slapped. Worse, he looks like he was slapped by a parent for the first time, his eyes opening to the true reality of a trusted figure. This time, however, he doesn’t shutter it away, and for that Sam feels sick to his stomach. 

“You would know about that wouldn’t you?” Joshua challenges, he walks up to Sam and crowds into his personal space. But, he refuses to let himself be intimidated. He gently pushes aside the pressure that Joshua is pushing on his mind and lifts his hands up in surrender.

When Joshua doesn’t step back, he starts talking. “I’m not going to pretend I know what’s going on in your head, Son. Even before you left you were hard to read. But you need to realise that none of us here are here to attack you.” He continues on despite Joshua’s attempt at cutting him off. “Emma might not be happy with you, but she’s smart enough to not send you away.” 

“And Vasquez?” Faraday challenges. Eyes still hard and voice still mean, but there’s something vulnerable and fragile hidden beneath all of it.

Sam takes a step back and keeps himself from rolling his eyes. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I can’t imagine that he hates you either.”

Faraday lets out a bark of laughter at that. “You may be the best tactician out there, Chisolm, but you can’t read people for shit.” Sam’s jaw tenses involuntarily at that. 

He hopes he’d caught himself in time, but when he sees Faraday latch onto it like a hunting dog finding the scent of blood, he knows this talk is only going to end one way.

“Son-”

“I ain’t your son, Chisolm.” Faraday says walking further into Sam’s space so much so that the near-immortal mutant is forced to retreat a few steps. Even without being a tactical genius, he knows that he’s given Faraday the upper hand in this fight. “Even if I was, I never have, and never will need a father figure.”

Sam isn’t given enough time to digest the statement before Faraday’s prodding at his chinks in his armor further. “Sam Chisolm, without a family, all alone in the world since 1879. So he collects people. But then Bart Bogue takes his new family away from him.” Sam stiffens at that. He thought only Goody and Billy and a few older mutants at The Institute knew about that. 

He should know by now not to underestimate Joshua Faraday.

“Then Sam Chisolm falls back into obscurity. Only teaches at The Institute. But then one day, a young mutant catches his eye. Dangerous and powerful, and without a family to boot.” Joshua’s mean grin stretches further across his face. Sam’s suddenly reminded of a rattler. All the warnings are there, but he’s too paralyzed to extract himself from the situation. “So he brings the kid in, gets close enough but still holds him at arm length, because nothing like Lincoln, Kansas can ever happen again.”

Sam tries to open his mouth to protest that one. To make sure Joshua knows he was never a replacement, but the young mutant keeps on talking.

“Then he finds another broken mutant. This time he still has a family alive, but he can’t go back anymore. So Sam Chisolm takes him in. And a year later he brings in Emma Cullen. So unsure of herself and not able to tell if anyone in her life is there for her or because of her powers, because she makes them stay.” Joshua prods Sam in the chest with his pointer finger so hard that he’s afraid it might snap, before Joshua spins on his heels to start pacing like a caged coyote.

Even though Sam has the space to leave, he finds himself rooted to the spot.

“Matthew, he needed a home too, so you brought him in.” Faraday’s eyes meet Sam’s and Sam revises his thoughts. Not coyote. Dog that’s been abandoned one too many times and trusts only himself to survive. 

“I can’t exactly speak for Red Harvest, but I imagine it’s the same story. Kicked out of his tribe, an outcast among marginalized people so what’s one more to Sam’s Misfits to replace the one that ran away?” Faraday lashes out and kicks at a rotting branch on the floor of the forest. “Billy might not’ve been collected, but he goes where Goodnight goes, and it’s sure as hell clear that you collected him. One broken mutant’s not enough for you? You had to get the mutant who left to go track for Xavier only for his wife and son be murdered while he’s away? You get a prize if you collect all nine?!”

By the end of Faraday’s speech he’s shouting, causing nearby birds to scatter from their perches. The force of his powers threaten to overwhelm even Sam’s walls.

Joshua is breathing heavily and his eyes are wild, but Sam doesn’t have the words to comfort the kid. And isn’t that what the 29 year-old in front of him still is? Legal adult in every way, by himself for ten years, but at what cost to his emotional maturity.

The boy’s never liked pity, but Sam doesn’t have it in his heart to be cruel. Not to a scared mind-reader who picks apart other people because he’s already found everything he hates about himself ten times over.

Sam takes a deep breath. Racks his brain to find a response and finds himself speechless. Not only speechless, but unable to even draw on his mutation to see how best to comfort Joshua.

“That’s what I thought.” Joshua says. But his eyes and voice are wavering, and Sam can tell he wants the older mutant to say something to make everything better. But he doesn’t have the words. 

And he probably never will.

“Don’t stay out too late, Goody will be upset if you miss dinner.” Sam says instead of anything helpful, and turns his back on Joshua Faraday for a second time in a decade; and makes his way back to the house in hopes that maybe he can make Emma see sense enough to help her friend.

And God help them that Alejandro does too.

*******

Faraday comes back to the house when it’s dark. He missed dinner, not that he has much of an appetite these days anyway, but he always liked Goodnight, and he does feel bad about skipping the meal the man probably lovingly prepared.

Instead, as he enters through the back door into the kitchen, he rummages around Emma’s cupboards in the hopes of finding a liquid dinner. Only to be met with a dry kitchen. He can’t tell if it’s because Emma and Matthew don’t drink in this idyllic set up they have going on, or if Emma’s already purloined all of the booze in her house.

He leaves the kitchen and enters the living room, figuring he may as well sleep even if it won’t be deeply without any alcohol. But those plans are cut short when he sees that the tv is still on and Emma’s young friend is sitting on his makeshift bed. 

Faraday, like always, can read the kid instantly, but still has that stupid habit of wanting people to tell him instead.

“Oh, Mr. Faraday,” The kid, Teddy Q, his gift supplies, stutters out. He goes fumbling for the remote but only manages to look like an ass before he looks up. “I didn’t know when you would get back and I figured I’d uh let Mr-”  _ Vasquez _ “My, uh, roommate fall asleep before I go in.”

Faraday isn’t so much of an ass that he’d tell the kid he doesn’t care, but he hopes his expression makes it clear even in the dim light provided by the tv.

He’s tired and frustrated, his tirade against Sam costing him more emotion and energy he had put into anything in a long time. So he grunts and sits on the couch next to the kid. Sees that he’s watching a basketball game and Faraday thinks it’s way too late in the year for it still to be on.

_ What do you know you little shit? Never cared about it or anything. Not like you go out into the world anymore- _

It’s when he shakes his head to clear the abusive voice in his head that he notices a glass bottle full of amber liquid sat next to Teddy.

_ So much for a dry house _ . He thinks sunnily.

_ Rye doesn’t fall far from the tree. _

_ That doesn’t even make sense you drunk bastard _ .

And him actually responding in anyway is a sure enough sign that he needs alcohol, and he needed it a while ago. 

He sits in silence for a bit, only talks to tell Teddy he doesn’t mind him finish watching his game. An idea comes to him slower than he would like. He’s starting to get a headache from the thoughts of those in the house, people forget to shield when they start to drift off to sleep. So he pulls out his deck of cards.

The one thing he kept from his time at the mansion.

His Harley he’d sold as soon as he got to Vegas. 

But his cards were a gift, and the only one good thing he was good at besides getting drunk. 

He notices Teddy’s attention is split on him and the game, so he flourishes his deck with an easy shuffle, but fancy to the untrained eye. His time as a dealer in a casino taught him a lot about cards and fooling people. Even if it didn’t pay for shit and gave him more headaches than anything else.

He has Teddy’s full attention when he nods at the gun in the kids holster, “You an army man?” He knows he isn’t. Faraday would have been able to tell from a variety of clues, even if he didn’t know for a fact that the gun on Teddy Q’s hip was Matthew’s colt that the healer never used on missions.

Or, at least, never used when Faraday was there. 

“No sir.” Faraday has to resist the urge to roll his eyes, and manages it. Just barely he thinks. “Mrs. Cullen gave it to me. Said she would teach me how to shoot it.” The kid must think he’s said something wrong because he starts backpedaling, tripping over his own words to avoid insulting Faraday, as if the mind reader doesn’t already know what this small town backwater hick of a kid thinks of him.

“I could teach you.” Faraday offers, and he knows he’s laid the bait when Teddy’s eyes light up, he practically expects the recent college graduate to start saying shit like ‘golly gee’.

“I’d appreciate it. Mrs. Cullen’s got a lot on her plate right now.” Teddy says, starting off strong then getting more subdued as he went.

“Tell you what,” Faraday lays down his trap, “for a sip of your whiskey I’ll give you a few lessons till Emma can teach you proper.” He says. He doesn’t have Emma’s mutation of Charmspeak, but he’s always been convincing enough on his own.

He bets Teddy doesn’t even think anything of it as he hands over his drink. At least not until he’s about to offer up his glass and Faraday just takes a pull straight from the bottle before handing it back to the kid who barely looks old enough to be drinking.

“Lesson one,” he says holding up his hands. “This, means don’t shoot.”

Teddy scowls in anger. His thoughts are a broiling mess of anger, embarrassment, and shame. So Faraday decides he may as well throw the human a bone. 

Faraday lets out a harsh chuckle before snapping his fingers and a card appears in between his index and forefinger. Teddy looks amazed, and that’s enough for Faraday to ignore the subtle thoughts of doubt that are plaguing his own mind.

He’s holding up the Suicide King, though he suspects Teddy wouldn’t even begin to understand the significance of that.

“Lesson Two. Take the card from my hand. You take the card, you live.” Teddy makes a half-assed go for the king. Even without Faraday’s mutation, the grab for the card is telegraphed way in advance of the movement. “Come on, Teddy. Focus. You gotta be quick.” He chides, a smile in his words even as he stays stone faced.

Faraday knows he must have a glint of mischief in his eyes. And he figures that his mutation must be riling Teddy up something fierce, because the next go he waits a bit and the attack is more of a surprise, even if Faraday still pulls the card back.

“You just lost your first gunfight.” He says menacingly. He eyes the bottle of whiskey but doesn’t linger long before turning back expectantly to Teddy. If he plays his cards right the boy won’t want it.

“Try it again.” He offers, the final buzzer going off on the tv, that they both ignore.

Faraday also ignores the footsteps coming down the stairs quietly, and he suspects that Teddy doesn’t even notice them.

This time he lets Teddy grab the card even though he knows the movement is coming. But he surprises Teddy. And whoever it is hiding in the hallway. When he pulls Matthew’s gun from Teddy’s holster and cocks back the trigger. 

The sharp jump in anger and frustration from the person still in the hallway is just enough for Faraday to figure out who he is. No matter how much time has passed, Faraday will always know the way that man’s mind works and feels.

“Lesson two.” He says, voice dark and he hates how much he sounds like the old bastard in the moment. But he can’t stop himself, “it was never about the cards.”

Teddy’s face goes hard and stone like, and Faraday lets out a little deranged chuckle at the young boy’s face.

He hands Matty’s gun back to the kid, butt first. “I’ll give you a third lesson.” He offers, and he surprises himself by actually meaning it.

_ Drunk. Alcoholic. Asshole.  _ Are the thoughts that most prominently stand out from Teddy’s mind as the boy stands and tosses his bottle of whiskey at Faraday. “Think you need that more than I do.” He growls.

_ What do you know, kid’s got a spine after all _ . The damn voice cackles and Faraday takes a deep pull from his hard won prize to drown out the old bastard. 

“Is this what you do now? Stealing alcohol off of fresh faced young adults to feed your addiction? That’s why you left the mansion?” Faraday doesn’t need his mutation to hear Vasquez’s unspoken,  _ left me _ . 

“Don’t make a habit of it.” He shrugs, turning off the tv and cutting off the only light to the room. “The stealing, not the drinking.” He clarifies, and feels smug and wounded all at once when Vasquez’s only response is to snarl and spit before heading up the stairs after Teddy.

_ You better appreciate this Matty _ . Faraday thinks before continuing to drink the entire bottle and fall into as deep of a sleep as he can manage these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's up yay! I will definitely get this all out, it is all written (even if I still hate the ending) and I will resist attacking too many WIPs before this is all out.
> 
> But hey, you know how you can convince me to put out chapters faster? That's right dear readers, comments! Seriously, I go back and reread comments when I'm feeling lousy and it's a nice way of knowing that people are still interested in this story and want to know what happens next.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma mourns Matthew's loss and makes up with a friend.

Emma wakes up slowly; hoping, that if she doesn’t open her eyes right away, the empty space beside her bed will disappear. 

She can just picture it: Matthew is by her side, prodding her to wake up cause they can’t stay in bed all day. She’ll convince him to one round of sex before he starts up the shower and they’d have round two before they make breakfast and Matthew would head out to do a few house calls.

But no. She can hear someone, Goodnight probably, sobbing loudly in the room next door. The sound subsides after a while. It’s still there, but Emma can block it out. She does and turns over to face her alarm clock. The harsh red numbers mockingly flash 4:23 at her.

Sighing she rolls out of bed and puts on Matthew’s housecoat before walking downstairs. The smell is bittersweet, but she needs the comfort it can provide. Horne will be up sooner rather than later, and she’ll appreciate a home cooked meal. With Matthew gone she’d been living on dry toast and instant ramen until Jack arrived. 

What she’s surprised to see is Faraday not on the couch. The blankets she’d laid out before she went off to bed are still there, but don’t look as if they had been used. She scoffs at it and enters the dark kitchen. It figures that Faraday would be so stubborn that he wouldn’t take anything from anyone that was once a friend.

When she flips the light on, the pale light of pre-dawn not enough to light the kitchen, she’s shocked to see Faraday sitting in a chair. She would have thought he was out roaming her land like when he went off to sulk all day yesterday after the horrendous practice, but here he is, slouched in the chair, with bloodshot eyes, looking like he hasn’t slept at all.

Even Emma managed five hours. 

Still, she doesn’t say anything as she crosses the kitchen to start brewing a pot of coffee. But as she stands there watching it slowly drip, she realizes Matthew would be disappointed with her.

“You want any?” She asks, hoping Faraday can see it for the white flag it is.

Faraday jerks at that, and she can feel his mutation start to expand to its natural size, and she begins to craft her shield, but is interrupted when the normal presence of the other mutant shrinks.

“Huh?” He asks eloquently, rubbing his eyes. In the harsh fluorescent light of her kitchen, seems Goodnight replaced one of the bulbs, she can see the dark bruises under Faraday’s green eyes. 

She almost starts to feel bad for him before he says, “Guilt keeping you awake?”

Emma stares at him like he’d just slapped her. But honestly that would have been more pleasant than him doing what he always did. Searching into someone’s mind, regardless of any personal boundaries, and picking apart their insecurities, dredging them up and forcing everyone to face them.

She’s just about to snap at him. Probably demand that he leaves, Sam Chisolm’s powers or no, when his entire posture crumples. “I’m sorry.”

Emma stops in her tracks at that. Her mug hovering a few inches above the counter.nDistantly she can feel her hands shaking for some unknown reason, and she feels like she might vomit. But that all disappears when Joshua stands up so quickly that the chair he had been sulking in clatters to the ground. Before she can say anything he’s gone and it’s only a moment before she hears the front door slam. 

She takes a deep breath and waits for the coffee to finish. And while she waits, she thinks.

No one at the mansion has ever heard Joshua Faraday apologize. He had always been sure in his convictions. She can’t think of a single time when he was ever even contrite. Even the time Alejo got shot on their first mission he only self flagellated rather than say anything resembling an apology. 

She turns that one thought over and over in her head. 

She’s still mulling it over when her coffee pot beeps its readiness. She pours two cups of coffee. One sugar and cream in hers, and nothing in Joshua’s before heading out.

“Help me open the damn door, it sticks.” She says as her peace offering when she arrives at the screen door to the front porch and sees Joshua sitting in Matthew’s rocking chair.

He stands up without a word, though he does eye her warily. She settles down in the chair next to the one he had been occupying and glares at him until he sits down so she can hand him his mug.

“You think Matty will be happy you cheated on him with me?” Faraday cracks. And she rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, that one was particularly nasty.” He prods again and she can feel his power pressing up against her mind but she brushes it aside like it’s an annoying fly. “Hey now, that’s not very ladylike.” 

She laughs at that one. And it’s obviously not the reaction Josh was hoping for because he’s staring at her slack jawed and confused as she cackles up a storm.

“Joshua Faraday, when have you ever known me to be a lady?” Emma asks, still snorting through the question. And ignoring the feeling that her chest is lighter than it has been in the past two weeks.

Joshua cracks a hesitant smile and hides it in his mug as he takes his first sip of coffee. Which then turns into several large gulps before he’s finished the whole thing.

“Well, we can see the effect alcohol’s had on your life.” Emma replies and flushes with pride and happiness when her old friend laughs rather than getting offended.

“Careful Cullen, or I might think you actually care.” Joshua warns pointing a finger in her direction. His mutation curdles a bit at that. And Emma frowns in response.

“You can’t let any of us have anything nice can you?”

“This is why Dad left.” Faraday shoots back, and it’s an old joke from when they first started hanging out together. Vasquez had been used to Faraday’s self deprecating humor in that regard, it was an open secret in the institute that Faraday killed his father, so much as the man who sired him could be called that. 

“You’re horrible.” She jests back. At first, she’s afraid she’s ruined whatever truce they had tentatively found in the little pocket universe of 4:30 in the morning. Both of them too tired for their demons to chase them.

Instead he cracks the first real grin she’s seen on him since he arrived in her house. And something in the back of her mind, that sounds a lot like Matthew, wonders if it’s the first grin the mind reader’s worn in a decade.

They sit in silence for a little bit longer and Emma tries to think of the best way to approach her questions before the others begin to wake up and break whatever peace they made. 

“Why was Vas-” He pauses and swallows then hurriedly adds the last part, “Vasquez surprised to see me?”

Emma frowns, this was not what she wanted to talk about. But Joshua’s done her the favor of actually dealing with his emotions healthily for once so she decides she can return the favor. “I didn’t tell him.” She replies simply.

Josh scoffs at that. “Smart.” She expects him to pull up any number of thoughts she’s probably not even aware that she’s thinking but he remains silent.

“Why did you come?” Emma asks, figuring the chance that she might get an honest answer out of the ginger outweighs the strong probability he’ll throw a hissy fit and run away.

“It’s what I do best.” Joshua says, and it takes Emma a horrible moment to realize he’s finished her thought out loud. He turns and grins lazily at her. His gaze stays on the pastel colors of the sunrise beginning over the mountain ridge. “When I left Sam didn’t stop me.” Emma nods. She was there for that and Alejo’s subsequent freak-out over it. “But he made me promise that if any of you needed me, I would come back.” 

“We could have used you a long time ago.” She finds herself saying and she’s not really all that surprised that she keeps talking. “Matty and I stayed around for another five years, but when it was clear you weren’t going to come back we moved out here. We got married. We tried to get ahold of you to invite you to be my maid of honor but you didn’t tell anyone where you went.”

Her thoughts are bitter and harsh and she carefully lowers her shields to make sure Joshua can feel it too. Not to punish him, but to make sure he understands that pain she felt when she realized she was never going to see a member of her family ever again.

“And it took Matthew being taken for you to come back?” She laughs humorlessly and it shocks her how similar it sounds to Joshua’s own self-deprecating laugh. “It’s no reason Alejo doesn’t want to be in the same room as you.”

She turns on him, stares him dead in the eye and hopes that he can feel and understand her wrath. “You left us all. You were always a selfish man Joshua but I never thought you were mean spirited too.”

That seems to knock something loose because the mind reader sits up straighter. Then stands and leans on the porch railing in front of her, arms crossed in front of him like it’s his last line of defense. “Do you know what it’s like to hear every thought around you?”

Emma begins to open her mouth. Is so close to calling him out on his bullshit. “I get it, you don’t know if Matty’s ever been with you cause he likes you, or because you somehow made him.” Faraday’s smile goes sad. “Listen, if you could read people’s minds you would know that that boy has loved you since he first laid eyes on you.” He chuckles to himself. “It’s actually really gross how sweet it is.”

Emma waits for him to continue. Knows now that this must be important. “Did Vasquez tell you what our fight was about?” 

Emma nods. It was ten years ago, but it hurt their friend enough to never let Emma or Matthew forget.

“I just  _ couldn’t stand it anymore _ .” His voice breaks but he keeps talking through it. “I needed it to stop. There are so many deranged people out there. Sure I shouldn’t have asked Alejo to take it away. He was right it wasn’t fair to ask that of him. But it’s too much.” Tears are running down Joshua’s cheeks and it’s clear that he hasn’t noticed his slip up where Vas’s name is concerned. 

“And I fuck everything up, Emma.” He’s staring at her. Like it’s the most important thing in the world that she understands. “I let the bastard kill her, and now he’s in my head!” Emma’s gut clenches at how hysterical he sounds. 

Emma’s worried that he’s going to run off again that she stands up and pulls the taller mutant into her embrace. 

“I’m just like him.”

Emma pinches his side at that and Joshua responds by squawking indignantly and trying to pull away from the hug. “You are nothing like him.” She whispers vehemently and holding on even tigher. She needs to make him understand. 

She can’t even pretend that she’s trying to make amends for Matthew’s sake. It isn’t even for Sam’s, or fuck, even Vas’s. The man currently wrapped up in her embrace was her first friend ever. He was the first person to not care about her powers and said fuck it and treated her like a person anyways. Her powers always came second.

And right now his need to too. 

“First of all, you’re going to stop stealing Teddy’s alcohol. And stop scaring the boy half to death, you two would get along.” Joshua lets out a watery laugh at that.

“Then we’ll get Matty back and shoot the son of a bitch who took him.” Joshua continues. Picks up where her step left off. “Preferably somewhere painful.”

Emma pulls back and punches him on the arm softly before sitting on the railing next to him. “Then you and Vas can kiss and make up.”

Joshua squawks again, but she shoves him with her elbow. It isn’t hard but he falls down on the ground cradling his shoulder dramatically. “I’ve been hit. Hit by my only friend. A killing blow while I was already down.”

Emma’s laughing so hard that she doesn’t hear the other’s coming down the stairs and going into the kitchen.

Her cheeks are hurting from smiling so much that the Matthew shaped rock lying on her chest these past two weeks eases up on her.

She’s still laughing wildly even as Joshua pushes her ass over tea kettle off the railing so that she lands in Matthew’s hydrangeas. She’s just about to step back onto the porch when she sees Alejo glaring at her like she’s personally insulted his mother and dead sister.

Then he looks down at the floor where Joshua is still lying prone on the floor. Though he’s no longer laughing and instead looks like he’s about to be kicked. Looks like he wants to be kicked. Like he thinks he deserves it from the man standing before him.

“Sam’s got a plan.” He says succinctly before turning on his heel and walking off.

They sit in silence for a moment before Faraday pulls himself to his feet and Emma stands behind him. “We’ll work on it.” She enthuses.

But Joshua just shakes his head firmly and enters the door. 

She’s gotten the most hard headed, stubborn person she knew to get his head out of his ass for a moment. On one hand, she suspects getting Vas to listen will be less painful. But she doubts she can do it on her own.

She’ll definitely need Matthew back for that one. 

Before she enters the kitchen Josh whispers, “Maid of honor?” 

“It would have been nice. And funny since everyone there would have know you’re not a maid nor honorable.”

Josh huffs a fond laugh and shakes his head. Then asks, “Who’d you get instead?”

Emma turns a sharp grin on her friend. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I would.” He glares at her pitifully, lower lip jutted out and he looks one moment away from whining “That’s why I asked.” Josh whines, and a comfortable weight settes in her gut at how she still knows her best friend. 

“Get good, Scrub.” She jokes patting him smugly on the shoulder before brushing past him and claiming a seat next to Teddy who looks like he’s about to fall asleep.

It puts her directly across from Alejandro and his glare which is impressive for this early in the morning. Her only response is to stick out her tongue before focusing on Goodnight and Sam’s conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at the halfway mark! A chapter from Emma's POV. It's short but sweet imho. Hope it wasn't too cheesy. Next chapter is also short so it should be up sooner rather than later (fingers crossed).
> 
> Also, comments, even one worded mean a whole lot. <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang comes up a plan and Vasquez despairs Emma and Joshua's fixed friendship.

Vasquez doesn’t miss the way that the air between Emma and Faraday has cooled off some of it’s tension. He finds himself scowling at the two of them and rolling his eyes when Emma sticks her tongue out at him.

_ Very mature _ . He thinks. But instead of everyone ignoring him and his thoughts Faraday lifts his gaze to meet his for a brief moment before turning away quickly to watch Sam and Goodnight go through their intense verbal tennis match.

“I know what you’re saying Sam, all I’m saying is you don’t put your sharpshooter that close to the action.” Billy growls, and it’s the most frustrated that Vasquez has ever seen the older mutant.

Goodnight rests a hand on the back of Billy’s chair before dropping lower and giving his husband a comforting squeeze of reassurance.

Vasquez soon finds himself scowling for a different reason. And it’s one that burns low in his gut and stings a hell of a lot like jealousy.

His gaze wanders over to Faraday’s who’s now ignoring him and he finds that he doesn’t want to be in the same room as the mind reader as soon as possible. 

“Would you put up some shields?” Faraday’s lazy southern drawl breaks off Sam’s argument for why Goodnight needs to be in the action.

“ _ Que? _ ” Vasquez asks, dumbfounded. His right hand goes up to grasp at the medallion around his neck.

The focus of the table shifts from Billy and Sam to him and Faraday. Faraday scowls. “You’re damn near projecting everything. I don’t need it right now.” He growls.

“Then ignore it you-“

“That’s enough, son.” Jack Horne says calmly from his right. 

There’s an awkward silence that descends upon the kitchen. Even Goodnight doesn’t seem to want to break it. Faraday heaves a sigh from his spot next to Emma. “Please?” He asks, though he’s gritting his teeth through it.

Vasquez rolls his eyes and throws up a flimsy excuse for a shield. He doesn’t wait to see if Faraday’s learned to express gratitude in anyway. “What’s the plan?” He asks. 

Sam turns to him and levels him an unimpressed look. Vasquez nearly rolls his eyes. He doesn’t understand why he’s being treated like the child. He’s not the one who ran away. He’s not the one who butts into everyone’s business. He’s never-

He’s startled out of his thoughts by a sharp pain to his shin. He glances up, surprised to find Emma staring at him in anger. When he sends her a questioning glance back she just stares harder before glancing nearly imperceptibly at the mutant beside her.

“Vasquez?” Sam asks.

“What?” He practically shouts. He’s nearing the end of his rope. If it was anyone else he probably would have stormed out by now. But he respects the older mutants too much and he loves Emma like a sister. 

And Faraday. Well he doesn’t like to dwell on what him and Faraday almost were. The reason why he never put much effort into learning to keep his thoughts private like the others did.

“I said, do you want to say what you and the others found out yesterday?” Sam rumbles. It’s a voice he only usually uses on students he’s pissed off with. Vasquez knows he should tread carefully.

But there’s a reason he and Faraday got along so well in the first place.

Before starting he leans back so that the front two legs of his chair kick off the ground as he crosses his arms over his chest. “We talked to some of the townsfolk and best we could tell, Sheriff Harpp is the man who turned the town over to Bogue.”

Emma swore loudly and dropped her mug. It almost hit the floor, and would have if not for Elizabeth’s powers.

If Red or Teddy think that’s strange they don’t say anything.

“Sheriff Harpp?” Goodnight muses aloud. “Didn’t you say he was a mutant?” Goodnight asks Emma. When the man had first arrived, before Sam showed up with his unwanted guest, Goodnight made sure to gather as much information about the town and its inhabitants from Emma and Teddy.

“That’s right.” Emma replies, and it comes out like a curse. Like the words have soured in her mouth.

“Why would he turn over other mutants?” Red asks, the longest sentence he’s said in front of the group as a whole.

“Man’s probably being blackmailed.” Sam reasons.

“What are we going to do about him?” Faraday asks.

The others, not just Vasquez this time, all turn looks onto the runaway mutant. 

He shrugs. “He’s seen Vasquez and Jack now, the whole reason you sent them was because no one would be able to tell they were mutants. But now that information is probably going to get back to the Sheriff. And if it gets back to the sheriff-“

“Then it will get back to Bogue.” Billy finishes.

“Fucking hell.” Teddy curses, and the others in the room all turn an incredulous glare at the boy. “I’m 24 I think I can swear when the situation calls for it.” He grumbles. Emma’s only response is to slap the boy upside his head before rubbing a fist into his hair, prompting several indignant squawks of protest.

“We could do a two pronged attack.” Sam muses aloud, and the commotion around the table stills. Even Red, from his place where he’s leaning up against the kitchen wall, looks interested. “We send some in to deal with the sheriff.” He rolls his eyes at Jack’s hum in protest. “Not murder. What’s his power?” Sam asks Emma.

“Mirage.” She says simply, then explains. “Mostly he does it to appear invisible in plain sight. It isn’t really invisibility.” She continues before Vasquez can ask. “You can see a shimmer and find the edges of it easily enough, if you know to look for it.”

Sam nods in understanding. “All right, that’ll be easy enough to deal with. Emma and Teddy, you two will go to send the sheriff a message to bring to Bogue.”

From where Teddy’s sat next to Emma he looks like he’s about protest being sent on the tamer mission but Vasquez interrupts the boy before he can make a fool of himself.

“I thought we were going after Bogue.” Vasquez says sharply. He wants Matthew back, and Emma’s other friends, they all do that’s why they’re here. Most of them. He sneaks a glance at Faraday and ponders again at the blackmail Sam must have on the mutant.

“It isn’t as simple as that.” Jack says.

Vasquez glances at the tracker then back at Sam. He notices Emma’s stiffened in her seat. “Is he-“ He starts, because he doesn’t want Emma to be the one to ask.

Faraday shakes his head before Jack or Sam can respond. “Not dead. Bogue’s just gone to a different research facility.” He glances at the older mutant and frowns. “That’s the most-“

“I’d keep your mouth shut, Faraday.” Billy warns from his spot on the other side of Faraday. He’s levelling him a glance that only Faraday and the older mutants understand.

“You just better figure out what exactly you’re after here, Chisolm.” Faraday says before standing up and walking over to the kitchen counter. Vasquez half expects him to pull out his flask and start drinking, no matter how early it is. But instead he starts preparing another pot of coffee.

Goodnight looks like he’s about to chide Faraday but he’s stopped by both his husband and Sam.

“Don’t worry about that, Joshua.” Sam sighs, and it looks like the man is one step away from pinching the bridge of his nose.

“So what are we going to do?” Red asks their leader. Vasquez almost jumps. For someone who’s mutation is manipulating fire, the youngest mutant is surprisingly subtle. 

“We’re going to go where they’re keeping most of the mutants they took.” Sam explains. And this time his side eyed glance at Goodnight makes sense.

It’s an open secret that Goodnight and Billy both have a dark past concerning research laboratories and shared experiences in them.

“This is all well and good.” Vasquez begins, haltingly. “But won’t this alert Bogue to our presence?”

Faraday snorts somewhere behind him, and it takes all of Vasquez’s will power not to just drop his flimsy shields and let the mind reader feel all of his unimpressed thoughts.

“You don’t think Teddy and Emma won’t be doing that already?” Goodnight asks, lifting a grey eyebrow. 

Vasquez rolls his eyes, it figures that the Cajun sharpshooter would take Sam’s side on tactics even if only minutes ago he was questioning them.

“What Vas- Vasquez is trying to say.” Faraday begins, sounding unsure of himself, but Vasquez has no desire to unpack the other mutant’s emotions. “Is, we release Ms. Levi’s husband and the others that were taken from Rose Creek. Won’t Bogue realise what we’re doing and speed along the process on Matthew?”

Emma lets out a harsh breath that sounds like a cross between a squeak and a whimper. Vasquez sends her a sympathetic glance over the table.

“Yes, but we need to find out where he is.” Sam says, and by the tone of his voice it’s something he’s thought over countless times and sees no other outcome in. “For whatever reason, Jack can’t track Matthew. Goodnight, Billy, and I are sure that that’s because he’s in some sort of protective healing trance. Almost like a coma, it makes the most sense given his powers. And Jack doesn’t have anything of Bogue’s to track him with.”

Jack leans back in his seat and strokes his beard. “So the six of us will go in and get something that will lead us to Bogue.”

“How do we know Bogue isn’t in the same place as where these mutants are being kept?” Faraday asks aftering draining his entire mug of coffee before pouring himself another one.

From where Vasquez is sitting he can see sweat starting to cause the mind reader’s ginger bangs to stick to his forehead. Vasquez also thinks he can spot the man’s hand shaking, but he has had three cups of coffee already this morning, so he doesn’t think too much of it.

“That’s not how Bogue operates.” Sam continues on despite Faraday’s sigh of exasperation. “He keeps his most powerful and financially important projects off site of the normal government facilities. He views himself as a businessman and he skims profits and research off the top before processing it.”

Across the table Emma flinches.

“So we go in free the mutants of Rose Creek while Emma and Teddy hit the Sheriff, deliver the message you want sent?” Red shrugs. “Seems straightforward enough.”

Faraday hums as he sits back down next to Emma, handing her a new mug of coffee. “Would you be able to track the Sheriff if they get you something of his?” Faraday asks Jack.

The old widower bobs his head in a nod. “That’ll do nicely. Be a good backup if there’s nothing of Bogue’s in the government building. Good thinking, Joshua.”

Faraday nods and ducks his head, as if uncomfortable with the praise.

“So when are we going to do this?” Vasquez asks, setting his chair upright and pulling his hand away from his medallion that he hadn't noticed he was still turning between his thumb and index finger until now. 

Sam glances at Goodnight who shrugs in return, his posture a more than a hair stiff, though his expression looks relaxed enough.

“Tonight.” Sam answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's mistakes I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well today and I didn't really want to reread my writing and fix mistakes. So yeah :/ soz. Hope ya'll enjoyed it, would greatly appreciate any kind of comment if you did.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang infiltrates Bogue's compound and a fight ensues.

Sam knows that it’s not his best plan. He wants,  _ needs _ , a better one, but time is of the essence and it’s not fair to the others who were taken to only be in it for Matthew.

But still, no one questions him because that’s what happens when you’re a tactical genius due to a mistake in your genes. 

He used to like to think that most of it came from experience, but even after 150 years it’s clear that it isn’t the only thing at play.

So, him and Billy approach the front of the government building only a short drive away from Rose Creek. Billy’s armed to the teeth and swaggers behind Sam. Sam walks just a step ahead of his best friend’s husband. Sam, while no less armed, has his guns concealed. He’s got on some cheap glasses and has Teddy Q’s old lab coat on as well. It isn’t a perfect fit, but they just want to be listened to long enough to get a window open.

They approach the gate to the centre and Sam nods affably at one of the muscle men out front. He looks a bit ridiculous in his cowboy hat and handlebar-esque moustache. 

“Gentlemen.” Sam nods.

Billy shifts just enough so his knives glint in the spotlights that are above the gate.

“Who’re you?” One of the pot bellied men asks.

“Sam Chisolm, I’ve been sent in by the FBI to do a mandatory search.” He says and hides a smirk when he sees all five of the men roll their eyes. 

“We weren’t told about any inspection.” Cowboy hat says before he spits out some tobacco so that it lands near Sam’s boots. Sam doesn’t let himself so much as twitch. While the man had been talking, more security came out and lined themselves up along the top of the wall surrounding the gate. Their various shotguns on full display. 

“Who’s he?” Another man asks pointing at Billy with open disgust.

“Harmless.” Sam replies, and he can feel Billy stiffen at that. Knows that no one in the other mutants life has ever described him as harmless. It’ll be something to laugh about with Goodnight later.

“Well,” Cowboy hat says sucking on the bit of tobacco in his lip. “We need to see id, and Harmless over there will need to submit all his weapons.” His smirk turns cruel, like he expects that to send Sam away.

This time, Sam lets an innocent smile grace his face. He pushes back the lab coat and reveals his guns sitting prettily on his hip. A comfortable weight. He pulls one of them out and offers it to the man in charge, butt first. 

“I’m more than willing to cooperate” He says affably. “But I can’t speak for my compadres behind me.”

He feels the crash of Faraday’s excitement roll over him like a wave, and watches as the men in front of him go tense, and relishes in the fact that they felt it too.

From the left Horne lumbers out of the shadows, having gone unnoticed until now even with his impressive girth.

He can’t feel him the way he knew Joshua was behind him, but he knows that Vasquez will be in his spot, across from Joshua. It’s a risk putting them in the potential to have to work together again, but they’ve always worked well together, and Sam hopes that still stands.

He also knows, by the way that Billy both relaxes and tenses all at once that Goodnight is in position as well. Super hearing isn’t one of the mutations he posses, but he imagines that he can hear Goodnight cock his rifle. Can picture him standing loose as anything, but still deadly.

Sam takes a moment to pray that this mission won’t be the one to damage Goodnight beyond repair.

He doesn’t dare look for Red Harvest, he hopes the youngest mutant has already dealt with the watchtower and taken up place for clear shots. 

“Quite a batch of strays.” One of the men calls out.

Horne, in all his redemption loving glory replies, “I’ll say a prayer for you… A little one.” He lowers his hand in front of his chest, indicating just how much shorter the human who made the comment is compared to the bear of a man.

“You’ll make one hell of a rug.” Cowboy hat mutters, obviously thinking it would only be heard by his men and the three of Chisolm’s.

“And you’ll be murdered… by the world’s greatest lover.” Faraday calls out from his spot leaning against a light post.

Cowboy hat eyes Faraday with annoyance.

Sam can feel the mind reader’s excitement like an itch that he can’t quite scratch. He walls the feeling off, doesn’t block it, just misdirects it. Faraday at first pulls back, but then seeing the effect it has on the black stones it feels as if he expands it and directs it at them.

One of the men above the wall whistles, and Sam gives them five seconds before saying smugly, “I don’t think he heard you.” Then using Comanche, his and Red’s own code to give orders so others can’t parse it, he calls, “Fire.”

Before anyone in front of him can blink a fireball hurtles down past Sam’s ear so that he can feel its warmth before landing in a man’s chest and spreading until the human collapses, without time to scream before his death.

Faraday’s presence shrinks a bit and doesn’t bounce back, but Sam doesn’t have time to wonder if the young mutant is ok before spinning his revolver and firing off two shots and ducking away.

*******

As soon as Sam fires Billy springs into action. The bullets that the black stones fire slow down, but he doesn’t. He can hear the others behind them joining in the fight, but he doesn’t stop to pay attention to them. 

Except Goodnight. Even though he can’t afford to be, he’s worried about his man in this fight. Even as he slides around bullets like he’s in The Matrix he has a bit of his mutation keeping an eye out on his husband.

One of the security guards adjacent to him drops his gun and starts throwing punches. Stupid mistake. Like this, in hand to hand combat, punches are nothing for Billy to avoid. It merely allows him time to plan his next volley of attacks.

Without even thinking of it he stabs the man who had thrown a punch and releases a knife from the back of his belt from his belt to his hand into a man who had made a move towards Goodnight in the throat. 

He’s heard some students and professors at the institute wonder if he has a bit of precognition along with his super reflexes. But he’s just that good.

He jogs across the way and into the guard station where some more of the security have been hiding since his and Sam’s arrival. He ducks into a roll just as a guard fires as he walks out the door and then stabs him in the stomach so hard he’s pinned to side of the small shack.

Entering the one room building proves to be the most exciting fight he’s had since him and Goodnight retired. 

In close quarters such as these, even with his reflexes, it's hard to avoid some shots, or punches. But Billy manages to knock them all down without even earning a scratch himself. 

He wants to go out and go after Goodnight. Wants to be by his husband’s side when everything goes wrong. 

Not if, when. It’s inevitable. Like the two of them crashing back to each other. Or Sam Chisolm seeking revenge against Bart Bogue.

But Sam Chisolm’s orders were clear: take care of the security shed, sound the alarm to the rest of the compound, and look for where the mutants are held.

Billy does just that, and curses when he begins to look at the live feeds of the facility.

*******

Faraday feels the need to laugh well up from his gut and settle to bubble around in his chest. It’s been a long while since his last life or death fight, and being back in the midst of it makes something inside of him buoyant. 

Even better, none of the other seven are shielding themselves. Oh, Sam redirected him, but that was better than flat out refusing entry. 

But, before he can continue to get lost deeper in his thoughts, he  _ hears  _ someone take aim at him. Even as the bullet travels towards him, he wants to laugh. In the past decade he never sought to see how  _ strong  _ his mutation has gotten. To learn that it could detect unconscious thoughts was exhilarating in the moment, even if he knew that after the battle it would be terrifying.

Still lost in this revelation the bullet almost makes connection with his shoulder before he’s shoved out of the way by some outside force. At first he thinks someone’s tackled him, and seeing how Horne is dealing with the security in his nearby area, he doesn’t think it’s out of the range of possibilities.

But the wave of annoyance and anger and exasperation that follows is so clearly Alejo’s he doesn’t even need to look over at the telekinetic mutant to see that he’s got a hand outstretched in Faraday’s direction even as he continues to fire his own revolver.

Faraday instantly sends a wash of warmth and gratitude that’s met with a wall the likes of which Alejandro, Vasquez, has never used before. It sobers him up quickly. The happy bubbly feeling in his gut dissipates like a beer gone flat, and his face straightens out into the grim lines that he’s worn since he left the institute.

Isn’t it just the way that as he starts to get comfortable with his mutation and something has to go and ruin it?

Doesn’t it always happen that when he closes himself off a security guard appears behind him. He doesn’t recognise it, too busy walling himself off from his teammates, but he sees the way that Chisolm aims a shot over his shoulder and watches as the woman about to sneak up on him falls down with a perfect shot to the chest.

Faraday gives an appreciative nod in Chisolm’s direction and takes notice of the guards who have noticed Goodnight in the back of their formation.

There are three of them that are making their way menacingly towards the sharpshooter, but all the man does is clutch his rifle to his shoulder. Faraday doesn’t even need to use his powers to guess at what the man is thinking at the moment.

He stalks off in the older man’s direction and pulls out Maria as well. He fires a shot and the first guard lands face first on the asphalt.

Faraday waits for Goodnight to take a shot. He doesn’t so Faraday picks off the next guard coming towards him. A quick shot to the thigh that will have the man bleed out in the next minute or two.

He waits for Goodnight to take out the last human approaching him. Faraday can’t see their face, but the way they walk, even in the heat of battle screams woman. He lets his mutation expand, and it gets carried away before he can reign it in, and the overwhelming pressure of it presses in on the woman and she stalls in her charge on Goodnight. It’s only a one second misstep but it’s enough for Faraday to shoot her in the back of the head. It should have been enough for Goodnight Robicheaux, The Angel of Death, but Faraday’s used to disappointment.

With his powers extended he can hear the others in their own battles. Feels Billy’s shock and disgust. 

But more immediate to him at the moment was Goodnight’s panicked thoughts. But not just his, the other haunting, oil slick like thoughts that always swarm around the sharpshooter.

Faraday might not have been on a lot of mission with Goodnight and Billy when he still was doing them, but he never saw Goodnight this out of it before. 

He’s still caught up in his own head, when Vasquez comes into his space and puts his back against his so that Faraday has time to reload before firing off a shot that allows Vasquez to reload his.

*******

Vasquez doesn’t think before he puts his back to Josh- Faraday’s. Being back in a battle with the mind reader has overrun all of his misgivings and he’s running on pure instincts.

Ever since he was sent to the institute it’s been him and Jo- Faraday against the world. Even now, with ten years of tension and anger between them, it’s still his spot to be back to back with the mind reader.

He doesn’t even think to wall himself off in this position from the other man’s thoughts. Just as he uses Faraday’s back to shield himself as he reloads, to watch it while he watches Faraday’s, he also allows, even welcomes the other mutant’s mind presence. Lets it provide an extra warning system if anyone may be sneaking up on the two of them.

But just as quickly as they had come together, like two magnets, they’re propelling away from each other. Like they had a delay in realising they were the same before being forced by physics to shoot away again.

Vasquez, without even meaning to, mourns the loss of Faraday’s mind touch as the other mutant comes to his sense and walls himself away again. 

But, before he has time to digest and analyse the emotion he propels himself to the side of the wall and takes a breath. Both of his revolvers are brought up level with his head and he takes a deep breath in. On the exhale he releases any thoughts about Joshua and whatever weirdness he can’t afford to think of now, cocks his guns then spins around the corner and fires two shots off simultaneously. 

Both of the guards drop and it only takes a quick spin and another shot before he falls another agent. 

He can feel his cheeks tighten at how manically he’s smiling but he doesn’t bother to reign it in. Instead he spins each of his pistols once. Spins Maria once and holsters her and then Elizabeth gets the same treatment. 

It’s been a long time since he’s been on a mission. And there isn’t as much excitement teaching intermediate and advanced Spanish to mutants as one might think.

In a battle like this, he doesn’t have to think about his relationships that have broken down over the years. He can rely on instinct and know it will be fine, because there’s no one else he trusts more to watch his back.

Even if he’ll never dare to express the sentiment again.

*******

Red Harvest, from his vantage point in the watchtower, can see all parts of the fight. He isn’t quite sure why he’s up high and the old sharpshooter isn’t, he can be anywhere and be effective, but he doesn’t question it. Some other may think he’s stupid for doing so, but he trusts Sam Chisolm.

He also realises, as he flings a firebolt down at a security guard who was sneaking up on Billy where the man ducked into the security shed, that he enjoys fighting with a team. He only went on one or two missions with Matthew and Emma before they both retired and Goodnight and Billy had stopped long before then.

Even Faraday’s power, which had been foreign and uncomfortable the other day, pressing up against him now, is a comfort. With the view from the watchtower he can see everything, but it’s hard to tell what needs his exact attention when. It’s Faraday’s power that instructs Red to take out the sharpshooter on the wall that’s aiming at Jack from where he’s absolutely decimating another. 

A moment later there’s a sharp warning about a bullet heading towards Red himself and it's what he needs to duck down to avoid being hit before sending a strike of flame in retaliation. When Red had been warned by Emma, and Vasquez when he returned, they had told him that Joshua’s power was dangerous. 

He can’t see that Vasquez truthfully believes that. He can’t believe that. And none of the others seem to either. 

He doesn’t quite know how to make the power work the other way but he figures just shoving his thoughts and plan at the direction it feels like the man’s power originates from might work. 

He’s already sliding down the watchtower, the heat of his flames slowing his descent, as he sends a warning to Faraday, that the mutant will hopefully relay to the others, of one of the security guard’s bid for escape.  He receives a mental nod of acknowledgement in reply before he’s already striking out and setting the Jeep on fire. 

The resulting explosion makes Goodnight flinch. He doesn’t see it, but he can guess by the way that Joshua runs over to where Sam stationed his friend. 

Red, along with Vasquez, makes his over to where Sam is standing by the tall gate. Almost all of the hired guns have been dealt with, and it seems that Sam’s allowing his men to wrap up their business before making their way over.

“That won’t end well.” Vasquez growls, pulling out a cigarillo and placing it between his lips before searching for something to light it with. He starts swearing colourfully in Spanish, and Red knows enough to make out that he’s cursing out Faraday.

When he doesn’t find his matches immediately Red rolls his eyes and snaps his fingers. Without even touching the tip of the cigarillo it begins to glow and die out before Vasquez starts to puff and bring it back to life.

“Thanks,  _ hermano _ .” The older mutant says with a nod and a grin, and Red feels his mutation flare in his gut at the nickname Vasquez gives to his teammates.

But he has a reputation to uphold so he replies in Comanche, which only prompts Sam to let out a startled laugh and shake his head at their shenanigans. 

*******

Goodnight doesn’t need to be told that he’s a failure. But that doesn’t stop the damn voices in his head. 

_ You going to shoot anytime soon? _ Annabelle, former Brotherhood of Mutants member asks.

_ Unable to fire rifle despite being the only thing he is good at _ . The scientist who tortured Billy observes.

Meanwhile, Goodnight watches as the man who Sam had first confronted pulls out of a garage on a motorcycle and revs the engine before peeling down directly towards him. He rests the butt of his rifle on his shoulder and takes a deep breath. As he does so he closes his eyes.

In his mind’s eye he can see the ghostly visages of all the people he had killed with his gift. Men and women, humans and mutants. And everything in between. Some speak and haunt him more than others. But none more so than the Great Horned Owl.

His first kill. 

Before he can dwell on it for too long though, he opens his eyes and turns his body so that his rifle follows the track of the man’s escape.

Behind him, he hears a harsh voice. It isn’t the owl who usually spends most of her time directly behind him, not saying anything, but waiting, biding her time until she can act.

Instead, it’s Joshua Faraday. The man towers slightly over him, and while he’s never used it against Goodnight before, he does now. “Go on. Shoot him.” Faraday says, and as he does so, he realises that the boy is echoing slightly. And with a strike of panic, he realises it’s because Joshua’s repeating out loud what the voices are already saying. 

“Take the shot.” Faraday says, and it’s mingled with Annabelle’s command.

“Take that shot.” He repeats, more firm, with the derision that coats the scientist’s voice.

Goodnight feels the breath and warmth flee from his body, but Joshua doesn’t stop. 

 

“Take the damn shot!” He orders, and for the first time ever, the owl speaks as well.

 

He feels his breath hitch and he lowers the rifle. He’s so disoriented that he doesn’t notice Billy’s arrived before he’s pushing Joshua out of the way and taking the rifle from his hand with a pull that’s more rough and angry than anything else. “Give me that.” He says, and it’s only from years of marriage and even more of working together does he recognise the underlying softness in his husband’s command. 

Any and all anger is directed at Faraday, and he doesn’t need to be a mind reader to realise that.

Goodnight feels himself tense, but with Billy by his side it starts to slowly sink away. Even the soot coloured owl hops a few steps back from Billy’s warm presence.

Goodnight’s shaken out of his daze when Billy says, “It’s jammed.” Goodnight resists the urge to laugh hysterically. That lie won’t fool Joshua and it does very little to ease Goodnight’s own panic ridden state. 

There goes Billy, defending him again when he barely even deserves to be in the same space as the other.

Billy walks away, rifle still in hand, clearly expecting Goodnight to follow. He does, but it’s more of a shuffle as he tries to fight the urge to hang his head in shame.

He can feel Joshua’s eyes boring holes at his back. And when he turns to catch the other man’s eyes he sees that the attention is now at the spot where the owl in his mind rests, her wings flared as if prepared to strike.

No one’s ever been able to see her before, not even Xavier, but he figures that out of anyone, of course it would be the younger menace. 

He follows Billy back to where Sam, Red, and Vasquez have already gathered in front of the gate.

“How’d we do?” Sam asks, allowing the more abrasive mutants a moment to brag about their kills.

Billy offers his kill count, five, probably a low ball estimate, before offering back his rifle to Goody. Before he can take it though, Billy’s face goes funny: angry and concerned all at once. When Goody follows where his husband’s gaze has landed he almost chuckles to see blood dripping down his arm.

Who knew panic attacks and shock would numb the pain of a gunshot wound. 

He did. First hand experience, but it was always still a surprise.

Billy’s interrupted before he can call the mission off on account of his injury by Faraday proclaiming he got six kills. Goodnight flashes an exasperated smile at Sam. Even with the mutant stepping into things where he doesn’t belong, it’s nice to see that he’s getting comfortable again and acting a bit like his old self.

That is until Red asks Vasquez what he got and the man a simple, “Six.” Before throwing his half smoked cigarillo away. 

Joshua cracks a smile and offers, loudly, to Sam making sure he has the old mutant’s attention before proclaiming, “I got seven.” Holding up the fingers to prove it, even they all know it’s a lie.

Goodnight and Billy had never gone on many missions with “Chisolm’s Misfits” but they went on enough to know that this back and forth is normal for the two younger men.

Or, it was normal.

Something in Goodnight’s chest squeezes painfully when Vasquez scoffs disbelievingly. It takes Goodnight a few seconds as he and the others follow Sam deeper in the compound that the hurt isn’t his, but their resident mind reader’s. That’s all the prompting he needs to slowly construct a shield to wall off Faraday’s gift. 

Then, “You want to try and tie it up? Huh,  _ chigando _ ?” And it’s the Spanish insult that makes Goodnight realise that Faraday isn’t speaking his own mind. That he’s bringing Vasquez’s thoughts into the open to make the man confront it.

Whereas when he did it to Goodnight it at least seemed to have been to prompt the man into action, this seems more like a plead for Vasquez to talk to him directly, even if it’s before he’s shot between the eyes.

“Say when,  _ guero _ .” Vasquez taunts, his hand moving to rest on his pistol.

Before anyone can be shot, however, they’re interrupted as they walk into the front doors of the facility.

He feels Billy stiffen beside him, and Goody reaches over to take his husband’s hand in his non-bloody one. They all realise, at about the same time, that this was never a government operation. Holding cells and experiments happen in the same location in those, and they’re a hell of a lot cleaner.

These, however are just cells, packed with two or three doped up mutants to a cage.

With a click, all of the cells are unlocked, and the group turns to watch Vasquez lower his hand, a scowl on his face.

“This facility is closed.” Sam says as a few weary mutants poke their head out of their cells. “You’re free to go.” He  tells them, but from the way he shifts it’s clear he has another purpose for them in mind. “Or you can stay with us, and help bring the man who did this down.”

Goodnight sighs and shakes his head, as once again Sam’s personal vendetta against Bartholomew Bogue comes out. 

More mutants have wandered out and a few look weary but many more look like they’re itching to get their own revenge. 

One opens their mouth to speak, but they’re stopped when Faraday tosses his flask at them, which they catch with a speed that only Billy could rival.

Faraday gives them a nod before turning around and walking out while the others stay inside to figure out what they’re going to do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the POVs (except Emma soz) are used in this chapter, and hopefully the voices in each section are different. I also am kind of proud of how the battle was translated to this AU, but I'd still love to have your guys opinion on it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy is concerned by his husband and just what the mission means for both of them. Sam struggles to come up with a plan even as members of his team slowly begin to crack before his eyes.

The Seven return to Emma’s just as the sun begins to rise over the mountains in the distance. Everyone is tired and irritable, but none more so than Billy Rocks.

He supposes some of his anger is due to being in such close proximity with Faraday. And not just because the man antagonised Goodnight earlier. It had taken them all a few hours to figure out how to get the mutants held in the facility back to Rose Creek, and executing the plan had taken even longer, since Faraday had disappeared as soon as he walked out. 

Some small part of Billy rationalises that it’s tough for Xavier to be in places where people are in pain, or have been tortured, never mind a barely trained mind reader who hasn’t used his powers in a decade. 

Another part, a much much larger part, of him doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to be in the same room as Faraday again without thinking of ways of stabbing him.

“Cher?” Goodnight calls out, and promptly interrupts Billy from his thoughts.

“Yea?” He asks. He’s not at his best at the moment. Forget being angry at Faraday, he has his own painful memories dredged up from where they were buried when he looked into one of the captured mutant’s eyes only to see hopelessness despite their freedom.

“How are you?” Goodnight says, and his tone indicates that he’d already asked.

Billy scoffs, because even after all these years, he thinks he can fool Goody. “I’m not the one who was shot.” He deadpans, his eyes drop to the bloody bandage wrapped around Goody’s hand.

It’s Goodnight’s turn to scoff, and he has his good hand curled tentatively around Billy’s cheek before the assassin even has a chance to register what’s happening. “I think we both know that’s not going to work.” Goody whispers, before pulling Billy into him so that the two can take comfort in the fact that, for the moment, they’re both alive and relatively unharmed.

They stay like that for a while in the comfort of Emma’s guest bedroom and it’s closed door until they spring apart like teenagers when there’s a knock at the door.

Billy lets out a harsh sigh, “Who is it?”

“Sam wants to figure out the next step.” Faraday’s voice calls out from the other side. 

Billy’s about to protest that Goody needs rest when the man in question replies, “We’ll be down in a minute, get Jack to start making breakfast.”

“Already has.” Calls Faraday’s fading voice as his footsteps recede down the hall.

“You need rest.” Billy scolds. 

Goodnight rolls his eyes in response before pressing a chaste kiss to Billy’s cheek. “Sam’s right, we need to converge intel before any of us forget anything important.”

Billy grumbles what exactly he thinks of Sam Chisolm and his foolish suicide missions, but it only prompts a jovial laugh out of Goodnight. And it doesn’t sound high and thin, and Goodnight is surprisingly steady at the moment, so he doesn’t protest when Goody makes his way to the door.

“You can’t fool me, Cher, I know you like Sam as much as I do.” Goodnight calls as he makes his way down the stairs.

Billy’s about to follow when he sees the hand coming out to grab his shoulder. In one fluid movement that no one in the house would have been able to follow, Billy locks the offending limb behind the attacker’s back, their chest pushed up against the wall. The action causes a burst of air out of the pinned man’s lungs.

“Christ, Rocks it’s me.” Faraday chokes out. 

Billy eases up on the mind reader and reluctantly lets him out of the hold. 

“Maybe Goodnight was right.” Joshua says aloud just as Billy thinks it. 

Billy’s previous neutral expression morphs into a murderous scowl that even Joshua takes a step away from, even if he doesn’t get too far with the wall at his back.

“What do you want, Faraday?” Billy asks, exasperated and just wanting the conversation to end.

“The owl’s back.” Faraday says lowly.

At first, Billy thinks Faraday’s playing a trick, and Billy’s own fingers inch slowly towards one of his knives at his waist. But then he takes in Faraday’s appearance. The man’s expression, is for the first time since arriving at the Cullen’s house, sincere.

Billy lets his shoulders loosen just a bit, and unclenches his fists. “How do you know about that?”

The code was something him and Goodnight had come up with after Faraday had left, and shortly before they retired. The man in front of him, mind reader though he may be, shouldn't be able to see her. 

But still, Billy had his suspicions on the car ride back to the safe house, it was good to get confirmation when he inevitably confronts Goody about it.

Billy gave a nod of thanks and turned his back on Faraday before walking down the stairs. “Let’s go.” He says. “Alejandro will have eaten everything if we don’t get down there soon.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Faraday tense, then force himself to relax. At the same time, the cloying presence of the other mutant’s mind draws back and Billy feels like he can finally take a deep breath.

He likes Faraday. Or he liked him, when he wasn’t in whatever funk he had gotten himself into in the past decade. But the boy deserved to have some retaliation against his person for antagonising Goody. 

The best way to do it, was to bring up Vasquez. 

You didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that.

Still, Billy should be a bit more grateful to the mutant. He muses silently as he enters the kitchen, and sits heavily next to his husband. At least the mind reader had the decency to tell Billy. 

He glances over at Goody who’s in a light hearted conversation with Sam and Jack. 

Goody sure as hell didn’t.

*******

Sam knows everyone is tired. It’s been a long night, and despite what everyone thinks, he’s not immune himself to the siren call of sleep and food. Still, he needs Emma and Teddy to be brought up to speed when everything is still fresh. And he wants to know if their part of last night had gone any better.

Sam waits until Faraday and Billy both enter the kitchen before finishing up his conversation with Horne and Goodnight before tossing Teddy’s borrowed lab coat at the young human.

“Let’s get started.” He says clearly. He turns to Emma, “What’d you get?”

“Harp ran away with his tail between his legs. Lucky we didn’t send him off with a bullet in one of them.” She says. There are bags under her eyes despite the few hours her and Teddy might have been able to sleep until they got back. Sam feels his heart clench, but he keeps it off his face.

Emma was never one to take pity kindly.

“Send him with the message?” Sam asks.

“Had him repeat it back to us.” Teddy replies before shoveling some scrambled eggs into his mouth. Sam grimaces as he watches before turning away and to Jack.

“Was there anything you could use to track Bogue?” 

Jack shakes his head solemnly. “You saw that facility, there was nothing there except tortured souls.”

“Actually,” Faraday interrupts, throwing an envelope onto the table. “I found that while ya’ll were sitting with your thumbs up your asses in the facility.”

Sam reaches for the envelope first and ignores Faraday’s caustic tone. He can see just how jittery the young man is.

Sam knows what withdrawal looks like when he sees it.

“Paychecks?” Sam asks before handing the envelope over to Jack.

“Looks like it. It’s got his signature on it, and even a goddamned personal wax seal.” Faraday’s started to tap his fingers on the table, to go along with his leg bouncing under the table. “Man thinks he’s some sort of Wild West Baron or some shit.”

Teddy looks unsettled by Faraday, even with Emma and Jack in between him and the mind reader. Faraday seems to have noticed it too, because he lets out a harsh breath before standing up and walking to the screen door. 

He doesn’t leave, instead, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a crumpled carton of smokes. He holds the cigarette to Red, who’s been standing at the counter, and waggles his eyebrows in the trademark Faraday style.

Red huffs in exasperation, but the end of Faraday’s smoke still glows red, allowing the man to take a deep breath and focus on it.

Sam turns back towards Jack, who’s put the envelope back down. “Will that work?”

Jack nods and hums a bit before responding. “It should just. It’ll take me until tomorrow morning at the earliest, though, to get a pinpoint on his location.”

Emma makes an annoyed sound, and stands up from her spot from the table before she walks over to Faraday, who’s lit up another cigarette from his own before she even made it over to him. 

“It’s not an exact science, though I wish it was. More personal items, items that have been in my targets possession longer, knowing the target personally, all these things help me. The less I have to work with, more time it takes to track.” Jack explains, his high reed thin voice is gentle, and Emma’s shoulders slump in response even if she doesn’t apologise aloud.

Sam gives a nod of his head and turns around to the others still sat at the table. Most notably Vasquez who has most of his attention focused on Emma and Faraday. Sam feels the need to lock the three mutants in a room together. Maybe after they get Matthew back safe.

“Alright.” Sam says, and gains everyone’s attention. “Once we have a location, we’ll head out. We won’t wait. Now the man who got away-“

“McCann.” Joshua supplies and his voice is still tight despite the smoke.

“McCann is going to let him know what happened. But, he’ll wait and plan an attack if he’s smart. We’ll meet him at his location. That’ll give him the advantage, but that’s where it stops.” Sam explains and he eyes each of the team individually. He can think of a more concrete plan when they have an idea of where Bogue is hiding, but until then a vague plan is better than none at all. 

“What if he doesn’t? What if he just takes Matthew and runs to a new location?” Emma demands hotly, flicking her burnt out cigarette butt into the sink.

“He won’t.” Sam reassures.

“You suddenly able to tell the future, Sam?” Goodnight asks from his right.

Sam lets out a chuckle. Trust his oldest friend alive to be able to cut the tension, while ratcheting it up even higher. “He doesn’t want the government coming after him. Even mutants have basic rights after what they did to the Demiurge during The War.” Sam explains. 

“X-men got jurisdiction on this one.” Jack nods, and runs a hand through his bushy grey beard thoughtfully.

“So, he’ll stay to protect his own skin.” Vasquez summarises. 

“Exactly.” Sam nods in his direction.

“What else?” Red asks. The others turn to the pyrotechnique. Usually, he keeps quiet and unobtrusive, so Sam’s not surprised that the other’s are at his question.

“I’ll confront Bogue. I suspect he’ll have a few other guards on site, I trust you all to take care of those.” Sam continues, leaning back in his chair.

“What if he just shoots you in the head?” Josh asks from his spot by the door.

“Then shoot him in the head. Hell I don’t know, avenge me.” Sam says without thinking.

“Wrong team.” Teddy jokes.

The others turn to look at the human. The younger man stammers before Vasquez and Faraday both let out hearty laughs. They continue on for a while, and soon the other join in, until the entirety of the Cullen’s kitchen is engulfed in uproarious laughter. It feels right. In a house with Matthew and Emma in it laughter should be a common theme, not strained silence.

“Alright, alright.” Sam tries to cut in, wiping tears from the corner of his eye. “It’s clear we’re all exhausted.”

“Such a bad joke, kid.” Faraday offers, still snickering, a hand clutching his gut.

Eventually, the others begin to sober up. “Everyone go get some rest.” Sam orders, though it sounds more like a suggestion.

Everyone nods, and slowly disperses to their rooms. Except Jack, who takes the envelope and goes to sit out in the backyard, mumbling something about needing fresh air to track.

Soon, it’s just Sam sitting at the table, as Goodnight makes his way to the door. “Goodnight,” Sam calls, before the man can reach the threshold.

The Cajun turns to look at him, and cocks a questioning eyebrow. “You alright?” Sam doesn’t need to say anything about how Goodnight’s mutation works, neither of them are that straightforward. 

Goodnight just squares his shoulders and gives, what he must think is a reassuring nod, but Sam decides, most definitely is not. “If you need to sit this one out-“

“You called me out here, Sam Chisolm, you said you needed me. I ain’t so cowardly that I can’t be there for Emma.” Goodnight replies, voice firm and steady, despite the bandaged hand of his that’s shaking at his side.

“All the same, Goody.” Sam replies, and hopes that Goodnight will do what he needs to do. 

Goody gives a nod of understanding before following his husband up the stairs. Sam just hopes Billy can deal with the fallout. 

He sits for a while in the kitchen, despite his own advice before making his way up to his room that he has the luxury of not sharing with anyone. 

Passing through the living room, he sees Faraday with his head hanging off the back of the sofa with his boots and outer gear still on. Ethel and Maria still at his waist. Sam thinks about walking over and offering help, but Faraday, more so than Emma, has never taken kindly to any kind of help.

“I could hear you thinking even if I wasn’t what I am.” Faraday grumbles.

Sam doesn’t bother containing his sigh of exasperation. “Go to sleep, son.”

Faraday straightens up, and twists his neck left and right letting out a groan of pain. Sam winces in sympathy at the resounding crack as he does so.

“You ain’t asleep.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to do as I say not as I do?” Sam asks, a fond smile gracing the corner of his lips.

Faraday shrugs as he toes off his boots. “Won’t have to worry about it much longer.” Faraday offers.

Sam’s previous good mood sours. “What are you talking about, Joshua?” 

Josh works his jaw, but refuses to meet Sam’s gaze. “I know I ain’t gonna be welcomed back. Even if we all do make it out alive.”

“You planning on dying here?” Sam asks, concerned. He remembers Faraday calling it a suicide mission before, but Sam doesn’t expect anyone to die in this fight. And that should be enough for the mind reader.

He feels the overwhelming need to knock on wood, but he holds in the superstition.

“I learned long ago that life ain’t fair.” It’s the closest Faraday has ever come to discussing his life before Sam picked him up in the orphanage. 

“Well,” Sam says diplomatically. Choosing his words carefully. “If you are, I’d say it’d be best if you asked for forgiveness.”

“Always forget you’re religious.” Joshua teases. His is tone light but his eyes are still awash with the exhaustion that’s been weighing on him since Sam and Jack picked him up.

“Talk to Alejandro.” Sam says, before turning and heading off to bed.

“For a man that’s near two centuries old, you sure are fool.” Faraday says softly, though it’s enough to carry to Sam as he retreats to his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter up later than I wanted it to be, and another chapter added. Not the next one, but the one after I have to completely rewrite a section, but do not worry, this is all going to be posted! I foolishly started a NaNoWriMo novel though so let's see how that goes though I want this completely published before the year is over. 
> 
> Comments as always are love and encourage me to post quicker xxx


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang go out to confront Bogue and Goodnight receives some disturbing news. Also a speacial POV chapter from McCann’s creepy mind.

“Who the hell comes after some mutants from the middle of nowhere?” Bogue demands. His voice isn’t raised more than normal, but it is thunderous, and it’s enough to send McCann’s spine stiff. 

“I didn’t catch a name.” He replies, and tries to be as neutral as possible in the hopes that Bogue won’t use the revolver he’d been cleaning when McCann walked in with the news to shoot him where he stands.

“What do I pay you for then?” Bogue growls, casting a bored look in McCann’s direction.

“Security.” McCann replies stiffly, and it’s as close to speaking back that he’ll allow himself to go.

Before Bogue has a chance to retaliate there’s a commotion outside of the office. They both turn to watch the heavy oak door slam open as Denali shoves a fat squirrely man into the office before him.

“Tell him.” The experimented human demands. Just being in the former human’s presence the air temperature drops about ten degrees. McCann idly notices, now that Bogue’s attention is off him, that his breath has also started to fog in front of him.

“Cu-Cullen’s wife confronted me.” The sheriff of the little nowhere town gulps but doesn’t say more. He’s holding his sheriff’s hat in front of his chest like it’s the only thing protecting him at the moment.

“Who?” Bogue asks, and he casts his gaze over at McCann once then back at the Sheriff. McCann, were he a man with less balls, would sigh in relief, instead, he keeps his posture straight and turns all his frustration into a glare and lands it on the pathetic mutant.

“The-the mutant you took back with you from Rose Creek. Matthew Cullen, his-his wife and a friend of their’s Teddy-”

“I do not care about the relationships in your inbred town.” Bogue snaps.

McCann watches the sheriff’s Adam’s apple bob, and watches in disgust as the edges of him begin to turn fuzzy.

Without saying a word, Denali prods the man from a foot behind him with a shard of ice that prompts the man to take a step forward.

“They came to me, and told me to tell you that they’re coming for their friend, and and and-”

Bogue slams a fist down onto the mahogany desk that is the centrepiece to his office. “Spit. It. Out.”

“Lincoln, Nebraska. They said that Sam Chisolm was coming for you.” The Sheriff stuttered out. Denali cast a glance at McCann, but he just shook his head imperceptibly in response.

He didn’t notice anything particularly striking about Sam Chisolm. And he didn’t care enough about Bogue and what the man did to know why the mutant would challenge their mutual employer in such a manner.

“And that I’m a coward?” Bogue repeats, dumbfounded. McCann shook his head, if he didn’t pay attention he was going to get shot.

“Yes sir.”

Bogue rolls his eyes heavenward and in one clean motion fired his gun before the Sheriff had time to say anything else. 

He jerks his head in the direction of the body, already going cold on the floor to have one of his personal bodyguards clean it up. “Magneto… Professor X, you know what these mutants say? They say humans are less evolved than they are.” He wipes his gun down with a cloth before holstering it. “While Charles Xavier has claimed to change his view, I have not. Gentlemen, we  _ are  _ less evolved.” Bogue nods in Denali’s direction. “If humans are to catch up, then  _ we  _ must be evolved. I take these selfish mutant’s who wish to have all the power to themselves. And I redistribute it to the worthy.”

Bogue steps around his desk and wrinkles his nose in disgust at the bloodstain on the floor. “What do these mutants use their powers, their gifts, for?” Neither McCann nor Denali answer and allow their employer to continue. For fear of being shot in McCann’s case. And probably agreement in the Comanche’s. “This Matthew Cullen? He was a small town doctor.” Bogue turns his nose up like he’s smelled something offensive. “I will isolate this gene, and sell it to the highest government. If the world is to truly progress in evolution, we must catch up now.”

McCann gives a nod in agreement. He doesn’t care about the philosophy, that isn’t what he’s been paid for. But anything to keep this rant as short as it can be.

“Mr. Denali?” Bogue turns to the mutant in question. “Are the new guards in?”

Denali nods. “But I need McCann’s men to deal with the Sentinels.”

Bogue lets out a wicked grin. “Consider it done. And smile gentlemen. Who knows, we may have eight, nine more mutants to operate on by week’s end.” 

McCann lets out a chuckle and leaves the room, making sure to keep his back to Bogue for as short a time as possible.

*******

Jack Horne awakes from his nap in the dining room startled, out of sorts, and confused as to where he might be. It takes him a moment, but the soft talking coming from the living room places him where he is and what he’s doing.

He glances down at the envelope Joshua had handed him the previous day and frowns. It’s taken him longer than usual to track Bogue, even with the little information he has, and he is sure that that is not a good sign.

“Any luck?” Sam asks when he enters the room.

Jack scratches his beard and gives a nod. “I’ve got a general location, if we get wheels up I can figure out an exact location on the way.”

Sam hums in understanding, but doesn’t immediately move to converge the group and have them move out. “Where?”

Jack frowns and tries to remember the vision from his tracking trance. “Sacramento.”

Sam lets out a tired sigh and rubs his eyes with the heel of his palms, the only admission that the 150 year old mutant is just as exhausted as the rest of them. “We’ll get everyone filled in soon. Just, I’d rather they got along in a seven hour car ride.”

Jack quirks a questioning eyebrow at that. “I was outside most of the night, only saw Josh storm out round 11, what happened?”

Sam rummages around in one of the cabinets and doesn’t answer till he has two whiskey glasses in hand. He sets one in front of Jack then sits down and sets the other one in front of himself. He pulls a flask out from his pocket and uncorks it before pouring himself two fingers of the amber liquid that are bordering on three and then offers Jack the nondescript flask.

Jack takes it but only fills it to one finger then passes Sam’s flask back to the man. They don’t bother with clinking glasses. 

Sam sips at his, which surprises Jack since he figured the man would have downed it like a shot.

“History, coming up to haunt them all.” Sam fingers the lip of his glass and sighs before taking another drink. 

“It going to affect the fight?” Jack wonders aloud. He knows Sam, trusts the older mutant with his life. But sometimes he wonders just how much the tactics override the humanity underneath.

Sam leans back in the chair and glances into the living room where Emma and the youngest boys had been sitting. He must deem the coast clear enough to answer, “I hadn’t thought it would, but now I’m not too sure. Not to mention Goody and his demons.”

This time, when Sam brings the glass to his lips he downs what’s left and promptly pours himself one more finger before offering the flask back to Jack which he declines with a shake of his head.

Jack thinks of what he could say, then decides the best thing to do is let Sam say what needs to be done. He strikes Jack as the kind of man who thinks his plans through aloud.

“They’ll all fight because I asked them to. They all fight because it’s Matthew.” He turns a shrewd glance at Jack. “Why are you fighting?” The question seems to surprise Sam more so than Jack.

Jack shrugs and finishes the rest of his drink before answering. “Besides it being the right thing? I believe The Lord put me on this path, and I’ll follow it to the end.” Jack’s impressed that Sam doesn’t even roll his eyes. “And to fight in the company of mutants and humans I trust?” Jack shakes his head. “There is nothing more I’d rather do.”

“Pretty speech.” Joshua says as he enters through the back door.

“Faraday-” Sam begins, the beginnings of an admonishment on his tongue.

But Jack gives the young mutant a glance over. The boy is steady on his feet, and his words weren’t slurred. Whatever Joshua had gotten up to on his walk, drinking wasn’t one of them.

“You don’t gotta worry about me, Chisolm.” Is Faraday response before the man can get anything out. Then he cocks his head like he’s a hound dog that heard something it’d been waiting for. “Our resident sharpshooter, however-”

That prompts Sam to stand up so fast that his chair is almost knocked over in the process.

Joshua sits down in the vacated chair and raises an eyebrow at Jack. “Why haven’t we left yet?”

Jack frowns slightly, he can feel the mind reader picking, where as usually he kept to himself. “We were going to go as soon as you got back, I assumed.”

Faraday scoffs and pushes his seat back until two legs lift off the ground. “You better hope Emma doesn’t find out that you know and haven’t said anything yet.”

“You always push people away like this?” Jack finally asks the question that has been weighing on his mind since he first met the mind reader in his run down apartment in Vegas. 

Faraday’s chair slams back to the ground and he lets out an oof of surprise. But even still, he appears to have an answer at the ready, “Didn’t realise you thought you were getting close enough to push away.”

At this point, Mrs. Cullen walks into the kitchen. “Sam said we’re leaving.”

“What about Robicheaux?” Faraday asks as he stands up and begins to head towards the cars parked out font.

“Maybe you should focus on your own part of the plan,  _ si _ ?” Vasquez growls from where he’s already leaving through the front door.

Faraday barks out a laugh that’s a mix between a pained grunt and hysterics.

“Let’s get a move on, I want to be there before dawn.” Sam says as he tosses a set of keys at Billy.  “Red, Horne, and Vasquez you’re with me.” Sam nods at his team before turning towards the others present. “Faraday, Emma, Teddy, you’re with Billy.”

Goodnight’s name stays off the list, which causes a few of the younger mutants, except Joshua, to glance around in confusion. But a glare from Billy stops them from saying anything.

“Let’s go. Hopefully Jack will have something more concrete by the time we get to Sacramento.”

They all pile into their respective cars, and Jack thinks he can hear Sam murmur a quiet prayer before turning out of the Cullen’s driveway and heading north. 

*******

    Goodnight stays on the porch until the last car can no longer be seen over the horizon. Even then he can hardly bear to turn away from horizon and go back inside. But the sun begins to set and he decides that it is truly best for him to go inside if only because when Billy comes back, he doesn’t want his husband to see how weak he is.

  
_ He already knows, _ a voice scoffs. It’s one that usually stays quieter, but it doesn’t make the barb any less pointed.

  
And with that Goodnight’s demons start popping up, and all voicing their own opinions and Goody remembers, despite the pit of guilt and shame pooling in his gut that he couldn’t fight even if he wanted to. He is a spineless coward, and this is what men like him do.

  
Though, he has to admit to himself, he isn’t running. He pretends to himself that he’s just watching after the house even though no one is likely to come for it. 

  
He’s puttering around the kitchen ruminating over these thoughts when he catches sight of the owl over his shoulder. They sag in defeat and he turns to meet the dark eyes that gaze at him unwaveringly.

  
“What do you want?” He demands aloud, not caring that if anyone was in the house with him they would think he was more insane than they already believed him to be.

  
But, just as usual, the owl says nothing, doesn’t even let out a hoot that Goody could pretend to understand. Standing there, eyeing the great big horned owl. He feels like tearing his hair out. 

  
He lets out a ragged sigh instead. He knows it only gets this determined when it wants him to understand something. And hell if it just doesn't make everything worse. “At least the others are helpful.” He mutters darkly before turning to the host of unwashed dishes that are piling up beside Emma’s sink. 

  
He breathes out and starts running the hot water, so hot that it will turn his skin pink if he washes for too long, but he can’t be bothered to care about that. He sighs dejectedly, Billy would be so disappointed if he was here.

  
_ He was disappointed _ . Someone pipes up from the back of his mind.

  
_ Did you see him? Bet he won’t stick around for much longer. _

  
_ Probably have Sam drop him off somewhere on the way back with Matthew. _

  
__ _ Nah, did you see  _ Sam’s  _ look of disappointment? _

_  
_ Goody picks up a baking pan that has some casserole still stuck to it and begins the process of soaking and scrubbing at it in the hopes that a menial task will take his attention away from the situation at hand.

  
_ Please, Sam didn’t want The Angel of Death, he wanted his husband. _ Annabelle scoffs at the others.

  
_ What do you think will happen if Bogue gets his hands on him? _ The scientist wonders aloud, almost giddy at the thought like it will be a chance to test out a hypothesis he’s been formulating. The damn owl lets out a warning hoot which the others ignore, even though it only sets Goody’s back stiffer. 

  
_ Who knows, maybe it won’t just be Billy, maybe Bogue will have seven new mutants to experiment on. _

  
_ Oh but what about poor Teddy? You like the boy, don’t you Goodnight? Tell me, do you think he’ll be able to survive an experiment? What gene do you thinks holds the mutation in him? If you had to guess, what power would you say he would get? _ The scientist sounds most excited about that and it sets his skin crawling.

  
Goody, with a great deal of difficulty, ignores them all and instead continues to focus on the washing, and he supposes on watching the owl out the corner of his eye as it gets more and more agitated. 

  
Finally, Goody finishes the dishes and there’s nothing else left for him to do except to attempt to fall asleep in the guest bedroom that him and Billy had taken over.  Even though the double was just on the side of too small with the two full grown mutants at night, when he lays down for the night, Goody can't help but feel that it feels as large as their queen sized bed at home without Billy’s body pressed up alongside his own.

  
Goody doesn’t bother attempting to sleep for a while. He leaves his communicator on the side desk, tracking everyone’s vitals, and he reads the biography he brought from home. When he finally finishes the section he was on and the red numbers on the alarm show it’s past three he turns off the light and attempts to sleep.

  
His dreams aren’t any better than him awake, although the voices aren’t as overbearing and he’s better able to ignore them, except for the horned owl which sits perches atop his shoulder.

  
Before long he awakes with a start and blinks as he stares unseeing into the dimly lit room.

Then he hears the sound that awoken him before: a rhythmic knocking and muffled voices. At first he reaches for his rifle, but the owl hoots sharply and he jerks his hand back, heeding the advice.

Standing up he glances out the window and sees a crowd of people: the mutants that they had rescued earlier in the day. 

Hastily he pulls on a jacket and follows the owl down the stairs. When he does finally open the door he’s greeted to a sight of Mrs. Frankel and a young man gripped in his father’s arms.

“Mr. Robicheaux,” Leni Frankel begins, stern and no nonsense just as she was when they were first introduced. “One of our boys saw something.” She gestures to the slip of a boy, no more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, with wide eyes. Wild, flashing but unseeing. At first Goodnight sees himself. But a quick shake and he’s brought back to the present.

“What is it?” He asks, and is relieved to find that his voice doesn’t so much as waiver. These folk need Goodnight Robicheaux the Angel of Death. Not Goody who can’t even handle his own demons let alone someone else's.

“James his mutation-- it’s the, we call it the sight.” The boy’s-- James’ father explains as he runs a soothing hand through his son’s sweat matted hair.

Before Goodnight can ask what the man even means, James begins to speak as if he were a middle aged man rather than a boy barely older than 14. “ _ We’ve got people with mutations, hell Denali’s one of them. What’s going to happen when we release these? They’re just gonna attack everyone!”  _

Goodnight furrows his brow in confusion, and thankfully all demons are silent as James begins in a different voice: _ “I don’t get paid enough to ask Bogue what he’s thinking.”  _

_ “Just be thankful we have these.”  _ The first voice laughs and then James shakes himself and gazed around at his unfamiliar environment before leaning heavily against his father. Wide eyes, full of hero worship, all of it undeserved, fall on Goodnight.

“Son,” Goodnight crouches so he’s at eye level with the boy. And he feels a pit heavier than those of his sins, settle at the bottom of his stomach. “Do you know what they have? Who they are?” He tries not to press the boy too much, lord knows he understands how overwhelming powers can be; but if his husband and best friend are heading into more danger than they can handle, he needs to know.

“I heard those voices before.” A different mutant, from the crowd that has gathered in Emma’s front yard, calls out before walking forward. “They were two of Bogue’s men at the facility.”

Goodnight places a hand on the boy’s shoulder and resists the urge to shake him. “I need to know what they have. Can you-”

“Sentinels” The young boy searches Goodnight for reassurance, and Goody knows he won’t be able to find any. “Mark 9?” He frowns then shakes his head, “No something new. They’re calling em Mark X but I don’t-- I’m sorry sir I don’t.” 

Goodnight shushes him. “That’s alright son, you did great.” He stands up straight and gazes out at all the townsfolk. “Ya’ll go home and take shelter, make sure every able bodied person can protect themselves or find someone to protect them. I’m gonna go tell Sam what happened, but if worst comes to worst…” He doesn’t finish the thought, he doesn’t need to.

The crowd disperses and Leni gives him one long sad look before following the crowd back to the center of Rose Creek.

Goodnight goes back and packs his things. Before he can think too hard about it, he’s got the key in the ignition and he’s following where the other cars left not 4 hours ago. With luck, he’ll arrive on time and be able to get the others out of harm's way before the sentianals can be released into the fight.   
It’ll be a miracle if he can prevent them from even entering the compound in the first place. But he doesn’t truly consider that an option.    
He doesn’t want to leave Matthew in there, they need to get him out, especially if Bogue is in contact with governments that are willing to give him sentinels as toys. But, he’s not too sure how any of them are going to be able to fight Sentinel’s with mutant chameleon genes.   
Even Sam Chisolm needs to have all the facts to make a plan. At least for one where everyone makes it out alive.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry the formatting of the chapter is wonky, I’m posting on mobile cause I need to post it but I’ll go back and fix it (maybe...)
> 
> You may be wondering why Goodnight just didn’t call Sam/Billy on a cellphone... He was... So distressed it didn’t cross his mind, yes that’s right not at all that I forgot that I set this story in the era of cellphones...  
> Also so sorry with how late this chapter came out, I had to rewrite part of Goody’s POV. But the good news is the next chapter should come out much quicker and it is the climax so yay (?) ! 
> 
> Anddddd let me know what you think any and all comments are loved and cherished <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fight, but not the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some trump-esque language in Vasquez's POV from a Blackstone

They arrive in Sacramento a little after dawn and by that time, Horne has given Chisolm the exact coordinates of where Bogue is hiding.

When they all get out of the cars they’d been making the 8 hour journey in, Faraday is greeted with a wave of emotions and thoughts from the others. For the first time in a decade, he doesn’t shrink away from it. Instead he uses his mutation for what it was used in during his time on missions. He enhances them, and sends what people need their way.

Emma sends him a grateful smile in return, and Sam gives him an affable nod, but none of the others seem to notice what he’s done. Or well, most of the others. Vasquez shoots him strange looks every now and then on their way to the walled off lab that, if anything, is more guarded than the holding area.

In the end, none of the mutants they released would have been any help in this endeavor, so they all stayed behind.

Even those that could have been useful. He doesn’t pretend to understand what Robicheaux is going through, but being able to read the surface of everyone else’s thoughts, it would have been better to have their resident sharpshooter, even if it came at the costs of ghosts that plagued the Cajun’s mind.

But, he doesn’t particularly want to face the man’s other half, so he keeps the thought strictly to himself.

Approaching this facility is even trickier than the last, besides from the normal traps that Sam is able to help them avoid given his gift, Faraday uses his mutation to stretch as far as it will go and warn the others if anyone is approaching them.

When he feels the crash of panic and confusion crash over him, he sends the signal to the others that Red pulled off his initial part of the half assed plan Chisolm was able to come up with on the drive up. Even though the others could probably smell the smoke and see the fire themselves.

It only takes a few moments to approach the gate where the others have gathered. With only a nod from Sam they all take off for their respective tasks. Emma and Sam branch off to find Bogue. Red Harvest arrives a little after the two have left, and helps Faraday and Vasquez keep the gate clear from reinforcements when they realize what the fire had been.

Teddy and Jack make the first move they can to break off and track down where Bogue is keeping Matthew.

Faraday just notices the murderous intent coming up from behind them, more directed than that of the Blackstones him, Vasquez, and Billy are dealing with in front of them. Faraday doesn’t pause to think his plan through before stepping just to the left and catching the bullet in the left side of his gut rather than his spine.

At his grunt of pain, and the bleed of pain that comes unwittingly out from his powers, Vasquez turns his gaze on him, and his eyes narrow. Faraday can’t much make out what the emotions underlying the murderous rage the other mutant is feeling before he’s shoved behind some cover that Billy pulls him further behind, just as Vasquez spins on his heels and shoots the bastard who shot Faraday.

The mind reader is impressed with the dead accuracy of the first shot in the man’s chest. The surprised look on the other man’s face, the one who had gotten away from Goodnight, doesn’t stop Vasquez however.

Instead he shoots him again a second time, cursing him out in Spanish so fast that Faraday can’t keep up. Instead, he focuses on staunching the wound at his side.

Faraday, thinks idly, as he watches Vasquez empties the chambers of both his revolvers into McCann’s chest, that the first shot killed the Blackstone. And sure, if Vasquez was pissed the second shot might be cathartic. But he can’t wrap his head around why the other mutant felt the need to waste his bullets like that.

“You ok? _Guero!_ ?” Vasquez shouts from where he’s tucked himself behind cover. And at first Faraday thinks he must have passed out, or hit his head. It’s the only explanation he can come up with for why Vasquez shot a man _six times_ for him, but also for using the nickname he gave for Joshua the first time in a long time.

It takes Billy kicking him none too gently for Faraday to respond.

Well, if they’re falling back into old habits he might as well.

“So far, so good!” He calls back as he reloads Ethel and takes a quick potshot around his cover. He can hear Vasquez, Alejandro, chuckle at that, and he’s surprised to feel something soft and gentle coming from his mind.

But there’s no time to worry about that, because he feels a sharp warning from where Red is above them on the wall and Faraday glances over to where he feels another presence rush in from the direction the eight of them had come from.

In his pain addled state it takes Faraday a moment to recognize the presence and he calls out a warning before Billy can shoot his husband.

“It’s Goody!” He warns, and Billy quickly makes a readjustment to fire at the man following his husband just as the other man aims and takes a deadly shot at the Blackstone who was about to take aim at Red Harvest up on his perch.

Goody races into their little bit into cover and quickly begins picking off those coming at them from the front, while Faraday and Vasquez take care of those trying to flank them. The older mutant is about to give an explanation for why he’s suddenly showed up when Faraday explains for them, in a hoarse whisper that he amplifies to the others. “They got a Sentinel.”

“They’ve got a goddamned Mark X!” Goodnight agrees with a shout over the crack of his own rifle.

Faraday can make out the surprise and horror of the other three mutants in his immediate area, but he slowly realizes that he hasn’t reached the others with his mutation. He lets out a curse, the same time that Red jumps down from his perch, using his powers to ease his descent.

The two give a quick nod to each other before splitting off and going after the members of their group that had separated earlier. He hears Vasquez give him a shout of admonishment and attempts to follow him but is stopped by a bullet hitting his left bicep.

Faraday can’t see it, but he can feel it, and that’s when he realizes that he’s been wrapping his mind around Alejandro tightly, tracking his every movement. He quickly lets that go when he creates a bit of distance. He knows he doesn’t need the distraction.

So he doesn’t feel when Vasquez obviously makes an attempt to follow him, but he does hear Billy’s stern shout of, “Stay down!” as he covers Faraday and Red’s escape.  

*******

Jack may not have any sixth sense from his mutation, but being alive as long as he has been, he can recognize when danger is just around the corner. So he listens when the hair on the back of his neck stands up, and he pulls Teddy behind a corner before the boy can get shot.

Instead, what he hears chills him to the bone. The heavy thud, and mechanical drone of a Sentinel. Ever since his family died, he doesn’t think he could ever forget the sound. But that isn’t the problem he needs to be focusing on, so he shakes himself out of it and turns to the young human.

“It can't read you, you’re gonna be able to just walk on past.” He says, gripping Teddy’s shoulders a tad too tight to be comfortable. But he needs to make sure the younger man understands. And Jack will never forgive himself if something happens to Mrs. Cullen’s young friend. “You go find Matthew, he’s in the last door of the hall in the next building. You go in, and you wake him up.”

Teddy gives a jerky nod in understanding. Jack motions to the gun in his hand which the young man hadn’t had the opportunity to fire yet. “You know how to use that.”

“Mr. Faraday taught me some.” The boy explains and Jack nods before giving the human a hard reassuring pat on the shoulder before sending him off on his own.

Like Jack predicted, the boy gets away fine, the Sentinel not even sparing him another glance. He prepares himself and launches his body at the Sentinel before it has a chance at guessing what his mutation might be. He leaves the gun where it rests in his holster and instead pulls out his tomahawk his wife gifted him so many years ago.

Letting out a roar more akin to that of a bear, he engages the ten foot tall monstrosity, and Jack lets himself feel some modicum of relief at the fact that it’s only a Mark I.

*******

Red arrives where Jack is, in time to see him fall to the floor with an honest to god icicle sticking out of his chest. The young Comanche spins in place while looking for the Sentinel that the old man must have been taken down by, only to see that it’s already in pieces further down the hall.

The pyrotechnic doesn’t have a chance to guess where the shot must have come from when he’s met with a war cry, as a shard of ice comes flying at him. He manages to dodge the cold projectile, but it still catches him on his cheek as it sails past. He reaches up and when he pulls his hand away to see blood marring his fingertips he lets out a grin in satisfaction.

He looks up in time to see a bulkier long haired man. A quick glance over the man’s face reveal several scars and a strip of yellow warpaint across the bridge of the older man’s nose. It’s not a lot to go on, but something deep in Red’s gut cries, _Comanche,_ and he snarls in anger.

How dare a fellow mutant _and_ Comanche work for a man as heinous as Bogue?

Shouting a war cry of his own he lets fire curl over his fists and he lunges at the man. Even though the traitor tries to side step the first blow, Red smells the scent of burning flesh, and his grin turns wicked.

The two trade a few more blows, but the other mutant doesn’t land another hit on Red, and the fight ends with a well placed fireball in the the centre of the man’s chest which fills Red’s gut with morbid satisfaction and a swell of pride.

As the body slumps to it’s side he calls out in Comanche, “ _You’re a disgrace_ ” before he brings the fire back to him and allows it to rest back in his belly before he turns at the sound of a low moan from the direction where he had first found Horne.

He rushes to the man’s side and glances him over, glad to see that the wound isn’t fatal, just cold. Quickly he melts the offending ice so the man’s body temperature can slowly begin to climb again.

“Where’s Teddy?” He asks as he rips off the fallen Comanche’s bandanna and begins staunching the wound with it.

“Sent him on ahead.” Horne replies before succinctly passing out.

Red takes a moment to think of his options, and growls in frustration when the only one that appears is to hide the bear sized man well enough that he won’t be found and going after the youngest member, and only human, and make sure he isn’t shot before he can make it to Matthew.

With Faraday already injured, and now Horne as well, he doesn’t think the healer would be able to fix anymore.

*******

Billy cracks a grin at Goody as they settle atop the wall Red Harvest had previously been covering.

“What’s got you smiling like that you crazy son of a bitch?” Goody asks as he reloads his rifle before taking aim at a Blackstone who was about to blow Vasquez’s head off.

“I knew you’d come.” Billy chuckles and takes aim with his own rifle

Goodnight returns the crazy smile that graces Billy’s features, “Oh really? How’d you know that _cher_?” He asks and rolls his eyes and laughs hysterically as Billy pulls out the Cajun’s flask.

“Anything left in there?” Goody asks as he lines up another impossible shot. Down below, Vasquez is digging around for some ammo, and something in Billy’s gut clenches in worry. But he pushes that aside.

This isn’t a solo mission with just Goody and him. They have seven others at their back, that will protect them. Sam, as much as he could, made the plan damn near foolproof. But still, they weren’t accounting for Sentinels, and Billy wasn’t comfortable with his husband being thrown into the fight unprepared.

And without Faraday’s powers, they wouldn’t be forewarned if any more surprises were thrown into the mix. They were lucky enough that Goody got there in time to at least attempt to stop the Sentinels.

But that didn’t prepare Billy for the hair on his arm to begin to stand on end. As he turns and looks behind him and Goody he’s greeted with the visage of a Mark I coming down on Vasquez’s location.

He lets out a shout of warning to the mutant down below before spinning around and taking aim at the damn thing. “This side, Goody!” He calls to his husband, and feels his gut clench in sympathy as Goody’s pale complexion goes as white as a ghost. But, luckily, the man just shakes his head and takes aim again.

He dimly hears Vasquez call out, his voice tinged with worry, but the Sentinel has its eyes on the two snipers, and that’s for the best, Billy figures. Out of the lot, he should really be facing this monster on his own, but he can’t help what’s already been done.

“Stay down!” He orders Goody as he prepares himself to charge at the Sentinel that’s made it’s way atop the wall, but he’s joined anyway by the sharpshooter, and something akin to a grin graces Billy’s face.

He won’t die, his gift won’t let him do that easily, and he hopes that he can keep Goody safe as well, but if there was to be anyone fighting by his side, he would hope it would be Goodnight Robicheaux.

At first, they seem like they can handle the damned thing easily enough. They quickly overpower it and it’s only a matter of actually getting past the outer armour and being able to dismantle the thing that was designed to fight against superhuman strength.

Down below, Vasquez is holding his own well enough against the Blackstones that continue to make the mistake of attempting to enter the compound.

They’ve turned the tide, just up until the moment Vasquez calls out in warning: “Company!”

Billy turns around to see what exactly the younger mutant is talking about and he comes face to face with a Mark IX. Not as deadly as the Mark X lurking somewhere deeper in the facility to attack one of their teammates, but not something he would trust any of the others to fight, but himself. He casts a quick glance at Goodnight who gives him a nod of reassurance before he springs after their new opponent.

He doesn’t see it. But he hears it, and it’s a sound that will be nightmare fuel for the rest of his life, as Goodnight and the Mark I topple over the side of wall and meet the ground hard. He doesn’t have time to check to see if Goody is still alive, before he’s caught off guard by the Mark IX and lands a blow that sends him back against the wall, even with his mutation, and dislocates his shoulder.

He lets out a grunt of pain, but manages to take a knife and throw it with enough power just as he sees Vasquez out of the corner of his eye fire his weapon, and snap the things neck with his sister’s mutation.

“Goody?” Billy asks tiredly, tilting his head to the side so he can better see Vasquez.

“I made sure the _Centinela_ was destroyed before I came up to help you. Goodnight was breathing when I came up.” The younger man breathes. And if the telekinetic is sure that the Sentinel was in enough pieces, he bets its fine.

Billy begins to stand up, to go check on Goodnight himself, when he lets out a cry of anguished pain. His hand moves to his chest and his hand is gently pulled back by Vasquez which reveals not only the gunshot wound slightly right of his sternum, but also the blood coating his hand.

“Oh.” He says numbly, before sinking into the younger mutant's grasp. “Goody.” He pleads desperately before slipping off into unconsciousness.

*******

When he finally is able to be sure that there are no more Blackstones converging on their location, and he’s able staunch the wound enough in Billy’s chest that the man will survive until his mutation fixes the damage done; he hides Billy and Goodnight in a place where they won’t be found until the others are ready to bring them back to Emma and Matthew’s home.

As he makes his way into the facility, with the express intent of finding Joshua and stopping him from his suicide run, he’s greeted by a man wearing an eye-patch. The Blackstone, that’s what he has to be, tips his head curiously in Vasquez’s direction.

“And what might your mutation be?” He asks as if he were  asking about the weather, and they aren’t mortal enemies.

In response, Vasquez raises his gun and takes aim, but is thrown off kilter when he sees Joshua’s body lying prone and still, surrounded by metal, flames, and blood. Vasquez’s heart jumps to his throat, and his vision darkens with red blinding rage, worse so than when Joshua had been shot the first time.

The man blocking his path to his _guerito_ follows where his gaze has landed. “Never thought a mind reader of all things would be able to take on a Mark X Sentinel, but,” the man shrugs, and chews lazily on his cigarette. “That boy was stubborn. Took my Sentinel down with him.”

That causes Vasquez’s gaze to flick back to the man, his breathing rough and ragged. The man’s smirk deepens and he continues to talk, “Now come on, _muchacho_ , what’s your powers? I have research I need to do when this is done.”

That prompts a roar to be torn from Vasquez throat as he fires a shot, that misses the other man. There’s only one person allowed to call him that, and he’s currently lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood.

He snarls again and takes aim, but is forced to find cover and stay crouched behind it when the man takes a well aimed shot of his own. “Not all humans are powerless you see, I can’t be attacked by a Sentinel, they don’t register me as a danger to society. But I have ways. Adrenals, you see, can do wonders to make my body have the powers of a mutant, but still be human.”

A shot takes a chunk out of the drywall of Vasquez’s corner. He grinds his teeth together angrily as his thoughts race to put together something, anything to do to help his _guero_. “That’s what Mr. Bogue and I are working on.” Another shot that’s meant to drive Vasquez back rather than injure him. “A way to make humans great again.”

A thought comes to Vasquez. A crazy plan that relies on _his_ mutation. But it’s better than nothing. He emerges from behind his cover so quickly that the crazy man is caught off guard. Using Elizabeth’s mutation he flings some of the Sentinel’s shrapnel at the man, pinning him against the wall. Using the telekinesis he takes off the medallion’s corded necklace and places it safely into his pocket.

He reaches out and takes the man by the neck. He doesn’t squeeze just rests it there, and he can feel the adrenals, as the sick son of a bitch called it, flow into him. With the reassurance that the man can’t somehow escape Vasquez puts a bullet between the man’s eyes before racing over to where Joshua lays eerily still.

As he puts back on the medallion he reaches to find a place where Joshua isn’t injured and feel’s his gut clench in anger and worry. He can’t leave him. Can’t bear the thought of taking his hand away from Joshua’s thready pulse. But he needs to find Matthew. Needs Matthew to make sure Joshua is alive so Vasquez can make things right between them.

With a sudden clarity, even as his vision blurs from tears welling, he realizes he’s yet to apologize.

*******

When Emma puts a bullet between Bartholomew Bogue’s eyes, she expects to feel relief. Instead, the maelstrom inside her chest doesn’t ratchet down, even as Sam gently takes the rifle out of her hands.

“We need to find Matthew.” He tells her. She feels herself nod numbly, and she knows that she’s in shock. Intellectually she knows that’s stupid, because Bart Bogue is dead, and he can’t hurt her family anymore.

But she also knows that her mind won’t be convinced of this fact until she has Matthew safely back in her arms.

She turns to one of Bogue’s underlings that she refrained from killing. _“Bring us to Matthew Cullen, now._ ” She orders and the jackass jumps to attention and scurries like the rat he is towards another part of the building. Not where they came from, but in the general direction that Teddy and Jack had headed for, which fills her with relief.

She may not be able to be disobeyed, but she also knows she has to word herself perfectly.

They run into Red first, before they find Teddy or Matthew. And while Emma and Sam are relieved to see the young mutant, it isn’t the relief she’s looking for. Emma quickly orders their prisoner not to attack and to wait where he is.

Red looks around and raises a questioning eyebrow which makes fresh blood leak out of a wound on his cheekbone. “Where’s Faraday?” He asks.

Emma and Sam exchange puzzling looks. Faraday, nor Red for that matter, should be in this part of the building.

“Why would Faraday be with us?” Sam asks carefully, his hands clenched tightly into fists by his side.

Sam was the one who wanted Faraday back, and if anything happens to the mind reader, Chisolm’ll be the first to lambaste himself for any possible evidence of his own guilt.

Red says something in Comanche, which Emma doesn’t have to be fluent in to know is a curse. “There were Sentinels, Goody came to warn us, and Faraday went to warn you. I found Jack injured from his own fight with one of Bogue’s mutant’s after he took down a gen 1.” Red explains.

Emma lets out a harsh gasp that sounds, even to her ears like a sob, and Chisolm curses aloud at the same time.

“Red can you-” Before Chisolm has time to finish the request, the young mutant is off in the direction that they had arrived from.

“ _He’ll be fine_.” Emma says firmly, and she surprises herself at the power lacing her words. She doesn’t know if her mutation will work like that, has never tried, but dammit all if Faraday wouldn’t be the one to prove her powers wrong.

It only takes them a few more minutes to stop in front of a slightly ajar door and the man gestures at it. Emma, ignoring Sam’s low warning, orders “ _Die_.” And Bogue’s man slumps down like a puppet with his strings cut.

Sam makes a disapproving sound in the back of his throat, but doesn’t stop Emma as she shoves open the door, only to narrowly miss a bullet that was aimed at her. Looking up, she’s impressed to see Teddy is the one who fired it, standing protectively in front of Matthew’s prone body, even as he favors one leg as the other is wet with his own blood.

Emma, luckily is prevented from ordering Teddy to rest as he slides down and keeps his back pressed up against the medical slab Matthew is lying on, his gun, Matthew’s gun, still aimed at the door despite Chisolm’s presence.

When she reaches Matthew, she curls her hand protectively around his face and traces his cheekbones with her thumbs gently. When she’s re-assured that he doesn’t need to stay in his self made coma for any injuries, she leans over him and whispers in his ear, “ _Wake up,_ darling. I’m here. The boys are here. And Faraday got himself into a scrape because that’s what he does and he probably needs your help, dear, so _wake up_.”

Continuing her litany of gentle orders, laced with her power, she doesn’t notice Matthew _has_ woken up, until a familiar hand grips her wrist before another one turns her to the owner’s mouth who presses a reassuring kiss to her lips.

It takes all of Emma’s willpower not to break down in front of Chisolm and Teddy, but is unable to stop the tears that trail down her cheeks as she pulls away from the tender kiss.

*******

Matthew wakes with a kiss from Emma, and it’s the tears that land on his face, and the cold hard metal surface beneath him, that clues him into the fact that it’s not a normal good morning kiss.

Emma’s still using her power laced words, but they’re running together, like a mantra or a charm, that he barely makes out what she’s trying to get him to do. It’s only when he can make out names, like Sam and Faraday does he realize just where he is and what must have happened. So, he gives into one last kiss, before sitting up while still grasping Emma’s wrist as tightly as he can without hurting her. A quick scan of her reveals that luckily she is unharmed.

When he turns to see Chisolm standing in the entryway unharmed as well, but holding Emma’s sniper rifle, does he feel a swell of safety. Emma must be devastated, that Sam came and helped her find him means that they’re being looked after even though they’re no longer the children they once were.

“-can you do that?” Matthew turns to meet Emma’s eyes that are still brimming with tears and he meets her pleading gaze with one of confusion. Without even having to ask, Emma, his love, repeats herself. “Jack Horne’s hurt and who knows what Joshua’s gotten himself into, they’re gonna need some healing, are you gonna be able to use your mutation?”

Emma’s eyes meet his searchingly, like she’s trying to pick out any hurts he’s hiding and not telling her about. But he’s still focused on one thing he can’t seem to let go of. “Joshua’s here?” He asks, and he winces at how raspy his voice sounds.

“Teddy go see if you can get him some water.” Chisolm orders, and when Matthew looks away from Emma it’s to see that their mentor is now only a foot or so away, hovering but trying to give them some space.

At his and Emma’s young friend name, he startles to see the younger man spring to his feet and head out of the room to do as bidden. He frowns at the trail of blood he leaves in his wake.

Matthew casts a confused and questioning gaze at Emma. She’s moved her free hand to his neck and massages it, probably more for her sake than his. “Teddy helped me after you were taken. He came with me to The Institute when I went to ask for Sam for help.” The older mutant nods and shrugs in that awkward way of his. “He got Joshua back into things and helped us.”

Slowly his brain processes Emma’s question. “What happened to him?” He moves to swing his feet over the operating table and attempt to stand up, but he’s pushed back down with a firm hand from Chisolm.

“Red went to go find him, we don’t know yet. But Jack was stabbed with some ice from a mutant, from what Red said.” Chisolm explains, but the firm hand is still on his shoulder preventing him from getting up and finding his friends that need help.

“I need to go-”

His attempts to stand up are thwarted by Teddy reappearing with a glass of water which Chisolm reaches for, but Emma has barely let an inch of space between them since he’s woken up. “Before you help anyone else I need you to look after yourself. Do a full body scan and make sure you won’t collapse on us if you start using your gift.” Chisolm orders as he hands the glass to Matthew which he greedily drinks down.

“Bogue didn’t touch me. He wanted me awake.” Emma’s grip on his hand makes his bones begin to creak but he doesn’t complain. He can’t begin to understand what she went through while he was gone.

Sam raises an unimpressed eyebrow so Matthew huffs and does as told, and is inwardly relieved when he truly finds nothing out of place.

“I’m fine.” He says just as Red enters the room with Jack Horne leaning most of his weight on the young warrior.

“Boy needs to take care of himself first, lay off would you!” Jack demands before he’s seated down on the table Matthew and Emma were sat on only moments before.

“Billy and Goody are outside, Vasquez is bringing Faraday.” Red informs the gathered group.

Matthew is just about to begin tending to the tracker when the sound of heavy breathing reaches his ears. As he turns to see who’s arrived, hoping that it’s Faraday and Vasquez tired from bickering. He’s shocked to see a bleeding Billy Rocks carrying his husband over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Goody fell off the wall, his leg’s broken. He’ll survive with normal healing.” Billy informs Matthew. Matthew understands. He’d never let an injured Emma out of his sight, and he can tell she feels the same by the fact that even with a larger audience, she’s yet to remove herself from his space. He glances over at Billy and Goody and notices that even while the conscious husband had sounded calm and detached, he seems relieved that Matthew is standing on his own two feet.

“You’re bleeding, I’ll need to tend to you first.” He says just before Alejo comes barging into the room, with Faraday’s bloody and broken body cradled tight in his grip.

“His pulse stopped.” Is the only thing Vasquez says before all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA! How's that for a cliff-hanger? i'm actually really proud of it ;) We're in the home stretch now, but the final chapter definitely needs to be reworked a bit, so we'll see how that goes xxx
> 
> Comments are love, let me know if I killed your soul as I feed off my reader's tears


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the hospital, everyone is safe, physically. And Vasquez confronts his one true fear.

“We need to take him to a hospital.” Matthew finally says after an hour and a half of him hunched over Faraday’s prone, motionless body.

  
“We can’t.” Alejandro protests, his hand still curled protectively around Joshua’s jaw.

Matthew shoots the other mutant a sympathetic and understanding glance before meeting Sam’s eyes. “I’ve done all I can, he’s got a pulse, I don’t know what happened when the Sentinel exploded but I do know he needs surgery.”

  
Matthew says it with such conviction that Sam knows there’s no room for argument. More to the point, and what Matthew hasn’t mentioned, is that Billy, Jack, and Goodnight’s injuries also need taking care of. And while Matthew had pushed himself through his own wounds to bring Faraday back from the brink, there is a limit to Matthew’s powers.

  
Sam rubs the back of his neck and casts a glance around the horribly cramped surgery. Goody has regained consciousness, though he isn’t responding to anyone else other than Billy. Emma also has a line of tension throughout her entire body that suggests she’s not above ordering Matthew to not push himself too far. 

  
Sam lets out a sigh, and squats by Vasquez who still has Faraday’s head in his lap. “Look at me.” The younger mutant bites his lip but nonetheless meets Sam’s unwavering gaze. “He needs a hospital. Matty needs to be looked over as well.”

  
Vasquez gives a weak ineffective glare. It’s not hard nor particularly sure in it’s owner’s convictions, but he thinks—he knows, Vasquez will cave. There’s not much else they can do when Faraday is still bleeding internally. “He’ll go insane.” Vasquez whispers hoarsely, and Sam knows the others will all leave him the illusion that they can’t hear him. 

“Son-“ Sam begins, and it’s either his tone, or the hesitance with which Sam reaches up to grasp Vasquez’s shoulders does realization dawn on the young mutant’s face.

  
“NO!” Now Vasquez is panicking. His grip has tightened to the point that Faraday lets out a weak groan of pain even though he’s still mostly unconscious. This, prompts Vasquez to let go of all points of contact. At that, Faraday’s eyes blink blearily open, and Matthew only has time to curse before his hands are covered in a golden glow as he attempts to put Faraday back down under, but not before the mind reader lets out a heart wrenching whimper of pain.

  
The whimper turns into harsh breathing and that in turn escalates to a hoarse scream. Emma takes Vasquez’s abandoned spot by Faraday’s head. “Go back to sleep Faraday.” She orders and while the man fights it for a bit, after a few more moments of Emma and Matthew working together, the young man, practically Sam’s son no matter what Joshua claimed not three days ago, drifts off to an uneasy unconsciousness.

  
When Sam finally can bring himself to tear his gaze away, he’s unsurprised to see Billy crouched in front of Vasquez despite a tight grip still on his own wound. Eventually, whatever the injured man says must eventually get through because Vasquez gives one quick jerky nod before walking back over to where the others are still gathered. The medallion Sam had given him many years ago is still wrapped around his neck securely, but Vasquez’s determined gaze and assured nod allows Sam to relax if even only for a moment.

  
“Let’s go.” Red says from where he’s still standing by the door keeping guard even though all of Bogue’s men were thoroughly dispatched during the fight.

  
Sam gives a nod and figures the sooner the injured parties are taken care of, the sooner their respective caretakers can relax. Especially if Billy and Goody both are injured, though Sam has a sneaking suspicion that Billy’s mutation will allow him to heal faster than his husband. A quick glance at Emma and Matthew reveals that at least Sam won’t have to convince their healer to get himself into the hospital as well. And, he thinks to himself, he really shouldn’t be surprised that even after his own panic, Vasquez has moved back into Joshua’s space and with the help of his sister’s mutation picked him up to cradle him in his arms so they can set off.

  
Sam thinks, before they head out and leave this hellhole of Bogue’s creation behind, that he shouldn’t be surprised that Vasquez has forgotten his grudge completely in the face of Faraday’s injury. He just hopes that the man keeps his head far enough above his own emotions that he can apologize to Faraday when the boy wakes up coherent enough to hear it.

  
Not that Vasquez is the only one that needs to apologize. Sam thinks darkly. While Faraday may have been alone in his destitute apartment in Las Vegas, at least he was safe and unharmed. If Sam hadn’t had his own selfish reasons and motives then Joshua would definitely be unharmed, even if him and Emma and Vasquez wouldn’t have made up. He can only hope that he did make the right choice. Sam isn’t one to question his decisions, but he can’t stop himself from ruminating that maybe Joshua hadn’t been a necessary part of the plan.  


*******   


Emma can’t be sure that anything is going to be alright, but she knows that Matthew is alive. Matthew is breathing. So things are going well. Even if Matthew refuses to take any form of painkillers.

  
They would be going even better if Faraday, Joshua she corrects herself, would get out of surgery. The stress of their resident mind reader being operated on without knowing of if he will make it is only heightening the agitation of the other mutants. Matthew refuses to take anything that will knock him out in case he’s needed to aid Josh’s surgeons in case of complication. 

  
Poor Teddy is running between all of the rooms trying to get what the others need. The young human was lucky enough to only come away with a graze on his arm which Matthew was able to heal before Emma could stop him. But Teddy is the only of the non-injured party who is able to run between rooms because Emma has made it abundantly clear she won’t leave Matthew’s side in case her husband decides to do something else stupid. Sam is in Jack’s room keeping an eye on the tracker because no one wants to interrupt whatever system Billy and Goodnight have mastered over the years of being together.

  
Red elected to keep himself as lookout for the entire corridor. Because while Emma had persuaded the doctors to not say anything about the eight mutants they were protecting, and the nurses all took one glance at their party and gave steely gazes and reassuring nods that they would do their best to protect their patients, mutants or no. None of them would feel safe until they were safely behind the walls of the institute. 

  
Vasquez, also uninjured, has spent every moment in the hospital’s chapel. The last Emma saw of him he had Elizabeth’s rosary wrapped tightly around his hand and knelt with his head bent, muttering all manner of prayers in both Spanish and English. As of yet, no one has attempted to pull Vasquez away from his self made vigil. Occasionally she’ll send Teddy to make sure that Vasquez is at least drinking water. 

  
“They’re fine.” Matthew’s hoarse whisper breaks through Emma’s near frantic thoughts.

  
Emma barely holds back a derisive scoff, and frowns shortly after. “Sorry.”

Matthew’s only response is to shake his head fondly and pat the bed he’s laid out on. Emma frowns softly for a moment, but does as requested when Matthew subtly rolls his eyes.

  
She makes herself as comfortable as she can around the IV drip and EKG monitors Matthew’s been stuck with. It’s amazing to her that human doctors won’t believe mutants who actually know about this that Matthew can monitor himself. 

  
She’s brought out of her thoughts by a soft kiss to her temple, where some of her hair escaped out of the braid. 

  
“They will be fine.” She says, because if she says anything else, she’s convinced that her powers will make it so.

  
“Hey.” Matthew says, and he jostles her shoulders slightly from where he’s got an arm wrapped around her. Slowly, she lifts her eyes to meet his. “Faraday, he’s gonna be fine. I just can’t get shrapnel out you know that, but he was stabilized before he even got here.” Emma opens her mouth to remind Matthew that Faraday was decidedly not fine for at least ten minutes, but Matthew doesn’t let her. Instead he continues on. “Alejandro didn’t even get hit the lucky bastard.” 

  
That prompts a weak chuckle out of her, and Matthew is enough of a gentleman to not make a comment on how watery it is. 

  
“Billy, well, I mean he’s one scary son of a bitch, so I’m sure Death turned tail and fled before she could even think of coming for him.” Emma feels herself relax against Matthew’s side as he continues to list just how fine everyone is.

  
He goes through the rest of the team and they sit in silence for another few moments before Emma works up the courage to say, “You haven’t said whether or not your fine.”

  
Matthew lets out a sad huff of laughter. “I’m alive, Bogue didn’t touch me.” Emma doesn’t feel reassured and Matthew must know, not just because she’s showing it on her face which she knows she is, but because he’s Matthew and there’s a reason they’re married. “My vitals are stable, have been since I woke up.”

  
Emma rolls her eyes at that, but Matthew just continues on. Lists every single vital, mentions ones that are normal, ones that he’s keeping an eye on even though they are, according to him, fine. 

  
The sound of Matthew’s voice happy and healthy, and the litany of medical jargon he’s going on about leads her to a light doze with her head resting above his heart so she can hear for herself, and reassure herself, that he’s still there.

  
They stay shrouded in their little pocket universe of peace for a while, though for how long Emma isn’t sure. And they’re only disturbed when they hear a gurney wheel by. 

  
Emma perks up a little at that, but it isn’t until Sam walks into Matthew’s own room, does she manage to pull herself away from her very comfortable living pillow.

  
Still not quite trusting herself to speak she raises an eyebrow in Sam’s direction. “He’s out of surgery, the surgeon wants to keep him under observation for a few more days.”

  
Emma feels her eyebrows tighten in a scowl. Faraday would barely step into the infirmary for a flu shot during his time at the institute. Her expression deepens into a frown when her brain catches up, and she remembers what Sam had suggested to Vasquez back in... Earlier in the day. 

  
Beside her she can feel Matthew stiffen and his grip on her shoulders tighten. “When do they think we can move him back to the institute?” Matthew asks with a clear frown in his voice. 

  
“A few weeks.” Sam replies, and holds up his hand before her or Matthew can protest. “We can’t get a hovercraft out here which means travelling all the way back to New York by car. And the doctors here don’t quite believe us about Matthew’s mutation, and the nurses that do, don’t want you to overextend yourself.” 

  
Emma reluctantly nods in a agreement, before pulling herself out from he spot by Matthew. She gives the corner of his mouth a quick kiss and quietly says, “Vasquez might need someone to kick his ass, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  
She’s about to ask Chisolm to keep Matthew company while she’s with her boys, but she’s cut short by both Teddy and Red popping their heads into the room. 

Sam heaves a put upon sigh, “it’s amazing we’ve not been yelled at yet.” Before gesturing to Emma to head out in front of him.

  
“I’ll be back.” She says to Matthew, and out of the corner of her eye she can make out Teddy rolling his eyes, but just this once she decides to let it slide.   


*******

When Vasquez enters the room Faraday- Josh’s- been given, he immediately wants to leave. The hair on the back of his neck stand on end and he can feel his heart rate start to pick up. His palms are sweating.

  
He’s broken out of his thoughts by a weak moan from Josh and a sharp glance from Sam. Matthew isn’t in the room, but Emma is. He’s about to make a comment about her going back to him when she says, “He’s not going to be able to get any rest like this.” 

  
Vasquez, at first, thinks she’s talking to Sam, but then a piece clicks. “Not you too.” He frowns, Josh mumbles weakly in his sleep and a strong part of Vasquez wants to go and comfort. But another, deeper darker part wants to turn tail and run, and never look back.

  
“If you don’t think you can, we won’t force you. But he needs rest. Dr. Sarassa said she put twice the normal amount of anesthesia for the surgery and he still was near consciousness for the majority of it.” Sam drags both hands over his face and sighs. And underneath, Vasquez gets a look at how truly old their mentor is. 

  
“Matty would keep him knocked out like at... Earlier, but he’s on strict bed rest.” Emma explains, her own face furrowed in concern not only for her husband, Vasquez knows, but also for her brother in all but name.

  
But none of that prompts Vasquez further into the room.

  
“You won’t kill him.” Another voice chimes in. And as Vasquez spins around on his heel, he’s not all too surprised to see Billy Rocks leaning his weight against the door.

  
“That’s not-“ Vasquez begins to protest.

  
But Billy just keeps talking. “I get it, you got your powers and the first thing that happened with them was a tragic accident.” Vasquez feels his throat tighten in panic, but Billy keeps talking, walking closer despite having to use the wall for support. “But nulls, you can just hold onto the powers. Sure you hold on too long and you take away life force, but we won’t let you.”

  
Billy comes to a stop in front of Vasquez, and before Vasquez can duck away a hand leans on his shoulder and pulls him in, so that he has to look the shorter mutant in the eye. “The medallion will help, but you won’t kill him. We won’t let you.”

  
For a tense moment there’s no sound in the room besides Joshua’s heart beat being announced to the room and Vasquez’s harsh breathing. He takes a quick glance and notices both Emma and Sam’s solemn faces as well. Over Billy’s shoulder he can see the entrance to the room he’s sharing with Goodnight. He can’t see Red and Teddy, but he knows the younger two are around somewhere. It doesn’t assuage all his panic. But it does make it manageable enough to realize there are bigger problems to worry about.

  
He looks between Emma and Sam and frowns. “What if I’m stuck with them?” He asks, because isn’t that what sent Josh away in the first place?

  
Sam sighs and scratches the back of his head. He glances at his feet briefly before meeting Vasquez’s eyes again. His steely gaze penetrating and calming all at once. “You won’t. Faraday will still be alive, we have the whole institute to help us figure it out when the time comes.” Sam reassures.

  
Vasquez swallows once and gives a brief nod of his head. The room seems to let out a collective sigh. 

  
“Alright then.” Sam says and takes a step to the side so Vasquez has a clear line to Joshua’s bed. 

  
Vasquez takes a deep stealing breath, and is stopped briefly by another hand grabbing his own. He looks over at the owner and knows he should be unsurprised to see Emma giving him a pinched look and a firm squeeze before letting him approach the bed Joshua’s lying prone on.

  
He takes a seat on the side of the bed and slowly unties the medallion from where it’s knotted at the base of his neck. He drops it into Billy’s outstretched hand and takes a deep breath before reaching out to grasp Josh’s hand in between his own.

  
Unlike the time with Elizabeth he recognize immediately what’s happening. At first he moves to take his hand away, but he’s stopped by a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. He doesn’t turn to see who it is. He needs to focus.

  
He can feel the mutation trading hands. It’s like slowly removing rocks from a stream and allowing the water to move freely.  He knows it’s going almost too fast for him to stop. 

  
But, as Josh’s mutation is brought in, he can start hearing a strange echo. Like he’s under the water. There’s the normal noise of the hospital room. Sam’s saying something to Goodnight in the other room, keeping the younger boys away too. But there’s a second layer. And it’s overwhelming. 

  
He hears Emma’s thoughts split between what’s happening here and her worry for Matthew down the hall.

  
Billy’s own thoughts are flashing a bit too fast for him to make it out, but they’re more turbulent that Vas ever would have thought.

  
He can feel a wall from where Sam is hovering, and when he tries to prod it, he’s overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions of the near 200 year old mutant. And it’s overwhelming. And oh, _dios_ Josh has to live with this every moment. 

  
And Joshua. His thoughts are muzzy, clouded by the morphine and anesthetic but it’s a jumbled mess. 

  
And then. And then—

  
_Well, well. The runt has someone like this who would care for him? Who would have thought._ The voice is mean and pure malice. And the other thoughts he’s hearing, he knows who they belong to, somehow. But this one is strange and one he’s never recognized before.

  
_That’s not nice of the brat. Never talks about me huh? Well I sure do have a lot to say._ _  
__Who are-_ _  
__Vas?_ _  
__Joshua?_ _  
__Ignore him._ _  
__Alejo? What? I don’t—_ _  
___Don’t worry about him, kid. I’ll take good care of your boyfriend.

_  
_ “Vasquez.”

  
_Joshua, I don’t understand._

  
The heart rate monitor starts picking up to a frantic beat. The hand under his starts violently shaking. But he can’t pull away.

  
“Vasquez, let go.”

  
__Oh- won’t this be interesting?

  
“LET GO!” Emma’s voice cuts through the cacophony and Vasquez finds himself dropping Faraday’s hand as if he’d been burned.

  
He opens his eyes which he didn’t realize he’d shut. His medallion is being tied around his neck by Billy’s steady hands. Once it’s safely on, he feels himself pulled slightly away from Josh. 

And he fights that. Josh needs him. 

  
_Boy hasn’t needed anyone in a long time_.

  
But he’s held back. “Doctor’s just looking after him for a bit.” Sam says and while he can’t hear the actual thoughts of the older mutant, he can get the general impression and it’s too much. Too much-

  
_Have a drink- or six, always helped the brat._

_  
_ “Who are you?” Vasquez finds himself asking aloud, and the hand on his shoulder tightens.

  
“Vas?” Emma asks, unsure. She wants to get Matthew, thinks Vasquez is the one who needs help. But he’s not. 

  
He left Joshua alone with this?

  
_For the best. I’ve only been here a few minutes and I already know you’re too weak to handle this 24/7_.

  
“Shut up!” Vasquez pleads, but it only serves to confuse everyone in the room. It’s been a long time since they’ve had to deal with outbursts like this from Josh. They’ve all forgotten how overwhelming it is for the mind reader.

  
The doctor's done checking up on Josh, and before she says anything he knows what she is going to say. Josh is ok. It was something mental that set him off. It wasn’t Vasquez’s fault.

  
_It was Vasquez’s fault._

  
“Son?” Sam asks, and Vasquez opens his eyes after not realizing he’s shut them for a second time.

  
Vasquez can’t find the strength to answer the older mutant that’s crouched in front of him, a concerned frown gracing his features.

  
“They both need quiet.” The doctor orders before walking out the door internally cursing out mutants, though there is something fond still wrapped around her.

 

“Alejo, you gonna be ok with Josh?” Sam asks, and his voice is heavy with worry, his thoughts are thick with concern. And he can’t stand it, needs quiet.

  
“Here.” A nurse says and Vasquez jolts, because he didn’t notice her come in, and all of Joshua’s peculiarities make so much more sense _now_.

  
“What’s that?” Emma asks from over his shoulder, and her hand tightens on his shoulder, he should have realized it would be their sister who would be there the whole time.

  
The nurse’s thoughts aren’t unkind. “Anti-anxiety. We keep them in stock for mind reader types. Not addictive.” She hands the bottle of pills to Emma and hands Vasquez a glass of water that she makes sure he has a firm grasp on before letting go and making her way out of the room.

  
_Won’t help_ -

  
“Give it to me.” He rasps. Emma waits a moment, she’s reading the dosage he knows. Two pills as needed. Can hear her reading the instructions.

  
But, like with Joshua she still says: “Two as needed.” Common courtesy.

  
He throws them back and drinks the whole glass of water. 

  
He knows it’s not an immediate effect, but placebo is one hell of a drug, and he already feels drowsy.

  
“Let’s get you to Matthew’s-“ Sam begins but Vasquez cuts him off with a firm shake of his head.

  
“Staying here.” 

  
The near immortal frowns, but Billy’s already leading the others out of the room. Leaving Josh and him alone with only the ghost of Joshua’s father for company. But as the pills start to take effect he finds himself slipping forward until he’s half on the bed.  
His face lands in front of Joshua’s arm. He can feel the comforting weight of the medallion so he reaches out and takes Joshua’s wrist in his hand, not trusting the machines to reassure him. He needs to feel the pulse under his own hand.  
Like that, with the voices quiet, and Joshua finally sleeping restfully, doe he doze off as well.

*******

Faraday wakes up slowly to the sound of a soft mechanical pulse whirring by his head. He frowns slightly, because maybe he hasn’t actually woken up. Because, he distantly realizes as his thoughts catch up, he can’t hear anything.

  
Oh sure, he can make out the sound of people talking outside somewhere. But that’s just it. There’s no echo. Nothing to check to see what they’re really thinking. 

  
He can hear someone breathing softly next to him, and when he forces his heavy head to turn, he sees Alejo- Vasquez, with his head resting on his arm which in turn is propped up on the side of the bed Faraday is lying prone on. When Faraday reaches out his hand in the hopes that maybe seeing if Vasquez is physically there will help him understand if this is a dream of not, does he realize that the weight on his arm is not some medical bullshit, but rather Vasquez’s hand wrapped almost painfully, protectively his mind supplies, around his wrist.

  
But that, that realization jolts Faraday awake. Because, he can’t hear Vas. Can’t hear the thoughts of those out in the hall. And as much as he never wanted it, wanted it gone as soon as he got it, now that it’s not there he knows something has to be wrong.

  
Or worse, some pessimistic part of him supplies —but not the bastard for once— worse, Vasquez isn’t breathing. That prompts Faraday to start struggling to sit up despite the fogginess affecting his limbs.

  
“Guero, what?” Vasquez mumbles sleepily as he raises his head. But there’s no echo, no extra thoughts. No anger or annoyance. The mechanical sound next to Faraday’s head starts picking up faster, and the voices outside stop talking.

  
But Faraday doesn’t know why. Have they walked away? Been attacked? Probably not, but he doesn’t know and he didn’t think he would miss his mutation but here he is.

  
“What’s the matter?” An authoritative  feminine voice calls from somewhere near the door maybe. But Faraday. Isn’t. Sure. 

  
“Guero shhhh.” Vasquez tries to calm from his spot, but he’s let go of Faraday’s arm and has his hand clutching at his own temples. And Faraday doesn’t. Know. Why. 

“Mr. Faraday, calm down.” The same mysterious voice orders, but it does nothing to cut through the hysteria racing through Faraday’s mind.

  
“Josh.” A familiar voice calmly orders. And it’s the familiar cadence as well as the calm that managed to cut through his hysteria. Josh’s eyes focus on the worried figure Sam Chisolm cuts standing in the doorway to the room.

  
“what-“ Faraday tries to ask but he’s cut off by the woman, doctor? Who pushes Vasquez away, although not unkindly, which prompts Faraday to attempt to sit up and reel his friend back.

  
Emma’s now in the room as well, and as frazzled as she looks she also seems relieved, but again she doesn’t make an approach, rather wraps her arm around Vasquez and leads him out of the room. 

  
Faraday refuses to let the hurt override his other thoughts but he fails miserably.

  
It’s when he sees Vasquez’s flinch and make an attempt to look over his shoulder back at Faraday, do the puzzle pieces all fall into place.

  
Faraday’s stopped from following the other two of his trio by a firm hand that seemingly comes from nowhere. His eyes follow the scarred hand up the length of the arm, resting on Sam’s eyes.

  
“You have two minutes before the drugs put him back under.” The doctor orders slinging her stethoscope back around her neck, which at least clues Faraday into why his chest was cold. And, he thinks idly, maybe he can feel the slow slug of the drugs into his system.

  
“What did you make him do?” Faraday asks, confused. And for once he doesn’t already have the answer. For the first time in the life the answer to his question isn’t just a courtesy. 

  
Sam sighs and looks torn, but about what Joshua doesn’t know. Finally, he sits down and gives Joshua’s shoulder a squeeze. “We had to bring you to a hospital and you have to stay here until you’re stable enough to move.” 

  
The doctor scoffs from somewhere which indicates what exactly she thinks about moving Joshua out of her care.

  
But again, he isn’t sure.

  
“So?” Joshua asks sluggishly, realizing that nothing makes sense. Not without the extra context clues. And not when his eyes keep slowly blinking without his consent.

  
He barely notices Sam helping him shift back down so that he’s lying on his back once more. “So, you would have gone insane, Son, there’s a reason we could never get you into the infirmary no matter how badly you needed it.” Sam chides gently, and there’s some laughter in his voice, which helps Joshua realize that Sam is teasing him.

  
“Had to,” He swallows and tries to collect his thoughts. He can’t quite remember why he was so worked up before, but he thinks that that’s why he’s so tired. “Flu.” he slurs before his eyes shut heavily.

  
“Emma,” Joshua hears Sam call softly. “Vas can come back in.” 

  
Before Faraday drifts off to sleep again he hears a familiar gate walk back over and slip into the chair by his bed. 

  
When his hand is taken into a distantly familiar one, he finds himself thinking that he doesn’t much mind Vasquez’s pity. At least he can pretend Vasquez likes him again until he gets his powers back.

  
“Oh _Guero_.” Alejo sighs softly, his hand pushing Joshua’s hair off his forehead.

  
Right before he truly slips under he thinks he feels the soft press of Vas’s lips against his temple. He’s not sure if it’s the drugs, or wishful thinking, but he’s glad his mind’s allowed him this much. He’s glad the mutation isn’t there to inform him otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to HazelAthena for letting me use her OC from the CBATM series: Dr. Sarassa <3 Also much angst this chapter, but also a little bit of hope right? We got Matthew back and Faraday isn't dead (spoilers) so maybe things are looking up? Oh reader, you have no idea how much h/c I can cram into the last chapter ;)  
> Reviews are love, especially during the holiday season.  
> Happy Holidays!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Everything is all wrapped up with a special Red POV section for your enjoyment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Major levels of sap from all characters

If Vasquez continues moping around the Cullen’s as he has been, Red is going to shoot him, the pyrotechnic thinks to himself as the older mutant lets out another despondent sigh. 

  
But, Red figures, that will only end up annoying Emma for getting blood in her house. Something she expressly forbade any of them from doing while the majority of the group began to recover. And, Faraday won’t be happy either when he finally is released from the hospital only to find Vasquez dead would not endear him to the mind reader further.

  
Another sigh from Vasquez. A spark dances across Red’s fingertips and he shoots the man a gaze. “I know you know what I’m thinking. Stop it.” It’s more words than he usually says in one go, but he figures if Vasquez won’t listen internally he’ll just have to say it.

  
Across from him Vasquez cracks a small smirk. “Maybe I’m doing it just to annoy you.” 

  
“You don’t want to make me annoyed.” Red grumbles and he knows it sounds like a fire crackling at a campsite. 

  
Vasquez gears up to respond, but he’s interrupted by Horne putting a plate in front of both of them. “Vasquez stop riling him up, Red give the boy a break.”

  
Vasquez bitches in Spanish a bit about being called a boy but one look from Horne and he’s shoveling food in his mouth to stop talking.

  
“That’s what I thought, you gotta take care of yourself or the next time you see Joshua he’ll be discharged.” Horne orders like the father-figure he is and sits down at the table. 

  
Red feels a spike of annoyance that isn't his own and he kicks out at Vasquez who’s able to quickly dodge given his new-found advantage.

  
“Do I have to separate you two?” Horne threatens.

  
At that point Emma and Matthew both enter the kitchen and Emma gives them all a stern glare. Vasquez ducks his head to avoid it, but Red stares her dead on. He wasn’t the one being an ass.

  
“I don’t have to let any of you stay.” She sniffs as she goes to the counter after settling Matthew down in a seat. The man they all fought so hard to save rolls his eyes at the treatment but allows the good-natured pampering anyway.

  
“Alejo, are you actually thinking about what Sam said or are you just moping?” Matthew asks, and Red can see the man shift to prod at the other man in question under the table. 

  
Unlike when Red did it, however, Vasquez doesn’t retaliate. He merely shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ve never been able to try to give someone’s powers back before. Not like they’ve been alive to try.” 

  
Emma, from behind Vasquez, frowns as she approaches the table again and Vasquez rolls his eyes. “Oye, stop it.” He grouses. “I get why Josh was so angry with you: you can’t shield for shit.”

  
Emma breathes out heavily as she sits next to Matthew and hands him a glass of water. “Maybe you should focus on yourself.”

  
“Maybe-“

  
“Stop it, you’re both giving me a headache.” Matthew says. It’s clear that it’s a joke. Something that any long term friend would say to another. But it immediately sobers the entire room.

  
“Sorry.” Emma and Vasquez say at once.

  
Horne casts a glance at Red and frowns before nodding in the trio’s direction. Red frowns in return. What’s he supposed to do? He only worked with Emma and Matthew for a short time, and he never did with Vasquez. Who cares if the man called him brother once? He’s not part of their group, he’s just going to be alone again. Especially if they end up convincing Faraday to go back to The Institute.

  
Suddenly, Vasquez stands up. “Where are you going? Visiting hours are over.” Emma says skeptically. 

  
“For a walk.” Is the man’s short response. “Come with me, _hermano_.” He says before heading out the screen door.

  
Red looks expectantly at Matthew but the healer doesn’t move. “Rojito, let’s go.” Vasquez calls after the sound of a lighter clicking ends and he lets out a heavy exhale.

  
Red prides himself on being unreadable but he knows in that moment his surprise could be read by anyone at the table. He stands up and makes his way to the door and as soon as it shudders shut behind him Vasquez is already on his way walking into the dusk.

  
They walk in silence for a while, and Red’s thrown up his fire like shield around his mind. He can figure out why Vasquez might have called him for a walk. He’s not stupid. Just cause he doesn’t like to talk a lot doesn’t mean-

  
“We’re not going to abandon you.” Vasquez says offering the cigar out to Red who waves it away. 

  
“I didn’t think you would.” He can’t see Vasquez’s face too well with the only light illuminating it being the embers of his cigar. But he can feel the smug and older-brother-like superiority that comes off the other man. 

His fingertips begin to tingle and he lets out a small fireball to hover at their shoulders as they walk. It doesn’t calm the twitchy feeling as much as he wants it to.

  
“A long time ago. Or well not so long ago. Hopefully not too long.” Vasquez is rambling, but it seems like the older man needs it. “I turned my back on Joshua. I told him to go away, made him feel like he didn’t belong and I didn’t see him for ten years.” 

Vasquez takes an inhale so deep that Red is surprised he doesn’t start coughing. “I wouldn’t have ever seen him again if it wasn’t for Matthew being taken.”

  
_What’s your point?_ Red thinks and he repeats himself out loud. 

  
“My point is, you think we are going to do the same to you.” Vasquez waves him off before he can even think of a response. “You think that if Faraday comes back like we all want then you will just be left alone, no?”

  
Red feels all the fight in him extinguish with the little fireball. “So what?”

  
Vasquez turns to face him, an impressive scowl on his face. “I told you so what.”

  
Red puzzles over the statement for a moment before he forces himself to make eye contact with Vasquez as he flicks away his cigar. “You’re worried,” He stops and starts again. “That if you don’t look after me-?”

  
“You’re going to do something very stupid.” He telegraphs his movement with Faraday’s mutation and taps Red on the temple. “You act like you’re better off but you’re broken like the rest of us.” The last sentence is said with a heavily laced with dark humor and Red can’t help but release the startled laugh that bubbles in his chest. 

  
Red gives a firm nod and lowers his shield. At first the touch of Faraday’s power twitches back but then it probes slightly and Vasquez gives a reassured nod. “Now, you’re gonna help me do some research so we can give Joshua his powers back.” He taps his own temple this time as he slings an arm around Red’s shoulder, “If I have to listen to Emma and Matthew’s thoughts about each other longer than I have to, I will break.”

  
Red shoots a smirk at the taller mutant, and finds he doesn’t mind this form of affection if it’s coming from someone he trusts. “I can’t even read minds and I know you and Faraday are going to be insufferable once you both pull your heads out of your asses.”

  
Red keeps walking even as Vasquez stops in his tracks. 

  
He turns around an arches an eyebrow in the way he learned from watching Sam.

  
“I’d run if I were you, _hermano_.” 

  
“You would?”

  
“Si.”

  
They come bursting through the kitchen in a flurry of limbs and Spanish curses, and when Horne starts cursing them all out as Emma laughs easily for the first time in weeks.

Red can’t think of a time when he felt so at ease.   


*******

“Let me check out, Chisolm.” Joshua whines from where he’s  propped up on his hospital bed.

  
“I’m not a doctor.” Sam replies, still glaring at his holopad as he attempts to craft a mission debrief for a mission that was never authorized.

  
“I’m fine.” Joshua snarls as he scares away the third nurse away today.

  
Sam rolls his eyes and looks up. “You’re not a doctor last time I checked either, unless you went to med school in the decade you were gone.”

  
Josh glares in his direction before eventually breaking eye contact first and glaring at the ceiling again. “I hate hospitals.” This is said without complaint and comes out honestly, prompting Sam to pull his chair closer and glance at Joshua questioningly. “I’m bored.”

  
Sam huffs a laugh at that because of course the younger mutant would choose to complain rather than talk honestly. Sam though, has a sixth sense unrelated to his mutation, but definitely honed and perfect because of the young mutant in front of him, to tell someone needs their head pulled out of their ass. It’s a skill that’s come in handy being a mentor, teacher, and friend of one Goodnight Robicheaux. 

  
“I don’t have my mutation which is fucking weird for one, even though I would have gone crazier earlier if I had it still.” Josh starts quietly, picking loosely at the IV in his hand that Sam swats away without looking up. 

  
“Last time I checked you would have done anything to get rid of it.” Sam says when Joshua doesn’t continue. Probing the mutant into anger will at least get him to get things off his chest.

  
“That’s not-“ He pauses and starts again. “That ain’t exactly what happened.” 

  
Sam finally turns and looks at the mind-reader. Truly looks at him, because this is not what he was told by Vasquez or Faraday. 

  
Just as he’s about to say this, he’s interrupted by Josh who’s still proves to be a good judge of character even with his mutation in Vasquez’s hands. “I mean yeah, that’s what got me to go, me asking. But that’s not why I left the institute.” He turns to stare at Sam in the eyes and he has to guess that the reason Josh is being this honest has something to do with the amount of painkillers he’s on.

  
“I know I’m annoying and get on people’s nerves. I’m an unrepentant asshole and a drunk gambler just like the old bastard.” Joshua’s never mentioned his father to Sam. “So I left before people could ask me to leave.” He chuckles darkly, “or, rather I pushed Vas until he told me to leave.”

  
Sam furrows his brow. “Then why didn’t you come back?”

  
Joshua scoffs as another nurse comes in to re-up his pain killers now that he’s in a less combative mood. “I ain’t stupid. Vas and Emma didn’t chase after me. You made me promise to help out if there was a mission that you needed me for.” He shrugs sleepily and yawns widely.

  
“You didn’t leave us any way to contact you.” Sam points out, in a feeble last ditch effort to comfort himself. Because he’s starting to get a sickening feeling that it might have been everyone turning their back on Faraday that turned him into the angry lonely s.o.b that Sam picked up two weeks ago.

  
“There’s Xavier.” His eyes start to droop even as Sam watches him valiantly attempt to keep them open. “Horne, but you didn’t use him till you needed me.” He turns his head in a herculean effort to look away from Sam.

  
Sam stands up and sits on the edge of the other man’s bed even as he kicks out weakly. He places a hand on his ankle and squeezes as hard as he dares until Faraday looks at him. “I’m sorry.” 

  
Faraday, Joshua. The boy he found at 13 who grew up in barely a month. Who killed a man, with intent, not a month after his mutation manifesting. Who struggled through the orphanage. Until an immortal plucked him out and asked him to depend on him until his friends, family, chased him away for some misplaced self inflicted guilt. 

  
“Don’t.” Chisolm orders and cuts him off with a shake of his ankle when he looks like he’s going to protest. “You always want to hear what people say out loud? Well now you have to, because I’ve got something to say and you ain’t ever been able to read me for shit.

  
“You are a good man Joshua Faraday. You put yourself on the line when it wasn’t your fight.”

  
Faraday scowls at that, “Matty and Emma will always be my fight.” 

  
Sam can feel his features soften at that. “Exactly. They’re family. I know you made up with Emma. Matthew never blamed you. Red likes you which I am worried about to be honest with you, you two are going to be nothing but trouble when you get _home_. And Vasquez is waiting for you to get better before he can apologize. Lord knows he’s been beating himself ever since I made him go.”

  
Faraday squints at him. Sam thinks he’s about to protest a point but Joshua has never been one to keep to expectations, “Home?”

  
Sam feels tears begin to prick in the corner of his eyes and he gives an awkward nod. Joshua smiles softly before his head drops. It’s the continuation of the heart monitor’s steady beeps that keeps Sam from reaching out and shaking the young mutant.   
He gives another awkward nod to the sleeping mutant before going off to find Dr. Sarassa and see if Joshua is healed enough to be brought back home. He’ll heal better there.   
  


*******

  
“Guero take it easy.” Alejandro swears as Joshua begins to falter in his steps again. They’ve only made it halfway to the car where Sam is waiting and Josh is already leaning heavily on him. 

  
Dr. Sarassa and Alejandro had both tried to argue with Josh to take a wheelchair at least to the car in the parking lot, but the mind reader had been too stubborn to argue against and it only took one mutual look before they sighed and let him do what he wanted.

  
“Fuck off I can do it myself.” Josh sneered hoarsely. His tone and posture are hostile, but his thoughts scream for help.

  
“Guero, no one else is here to see. Just let me help.” He consoles so that no one else can hear. And then, taking a page out of the other mutants book he sends a wave of what he’s thinking, vague thoughts since he has no where near the control as Joshua, so that the man can understand.

  
“Alright, alright you big softy.” Josh mutters in defeat as he places his hand on Alejandro’s shoulder and they finish the walk to the car like that.

  
“I was about to send Horne to look for you boys.” Sam calls, concerned as they finally approach the man’s sedan. Despite his teasing he hops out of the drivers side and helps ease Joshua into the back seat. 

  
As Alejo slides in beside the other mutant he nods at Horne who’s keeping an eye on the backseat in the rear view mirror.

  
The drive back to Emma and Matthew’s is quiet, the inside of the car filled with the quiet hum of a public radio talk show with occasionally Horne pointing something out. 

  
At some point during the ride Josh dozes off and his head comes to rest on his shoulder which jerks up with the tinge of panic coating his thoughts. “Back at Emma’s.” Vasquez quietly explains before he’s unbuckling the both of them and helping Josh through the front door. 

  
Emma and Teddy greet them at the threshold and Emma’s thoughts are a racing fight between wanting to give Faraday space and hugging her brother as tight as she can.

  
“Go on, know you won’t let it go until you-“ Before Josh can finish the thought he gets the wind knocked out of him from a bone crushing hug. 

  
With Josh’s powers Vas can hear the silent conversation that the two of them have but he ignores it in favor of looking around the living room. His gaze lands on Teddy who’s standing awkwardly off to the side. “I cleared out the room we were staying in, Mr. Chisolm said you won’t be going back to The Mansion until Faraday’s got his powers back, and well it’s more comfortable than the couch.”

  
Vasquez feels a tension he didn’t realise he’d been holding until then release. “Gracias, _hermanito_.” 

  
Teddy blushes a furious red and his thoughts become scattered.

  
“Ah leave the poor kid alone.” Matthew calls from atop the stairs. He looks paler and scrawnier than Vasquez remembers seeing him before (his mind was too occupied on Faraday and the heart stopping moment when the mutant was technically dead).

  
“He likes it.” Joshua says sending a roguish wink towards the human who manages to shake himself out of the stupor and roll his eyes at Josh. 

  
“Let’s get you upstairs.” Sam says as he and Horne finally make their way inside with a bag of Joshua’s clothes and his prescription painkillers.

  
Josh makes eye contact with Vas before rolling them heavily, but his mind agrees. It’s all a show. 

  
And it reminds Alejandro how much of the other mutant was purely for show. How much he needs his bravado and mutation, and how without it he’s a magician with no tools that work-

  
“-OK?”

  
“What?” He asks eloquently and takes in the fact that Billy has joined them in the living room.

  
“Get Josh upstairs and we’ll bring dinner up for you two in an hour or so.” Billy succinctly summarizes even as internally he’s rolling his eyes fondly. It’s no wonder Josh had never been as scared of the older mutant as others in their class.

  
Vas feels his throat close up at that. Josh and him haven’t been together by themselves when one of them wasn’t unconscious since... For ten years give or take. The sudden prospect of having to address everything that’s happened between them feels like a heavy weight above his head and he’s not sure he’s ready to deal with it. Especially when he’ll be able to hear every one of Joshua’s thoughts.

  
Emma shoots him a scathing look and Red himself looks at him blandly. “Let’s go Josh. Comfortable bed and actual food this is what you got out of the hospital for?” He offers his shoulder and the other man reluctantly takes it before they begin their slow shuffle to the second floor.

  
“Remind me never to blow something up again.” He grouses when he’s finally settled horizontally on the bed.

  
Vas feels himself blanch at that, but luckily his back is turned as he puts Josh’s things that Horne brought up away.

  
“Just a joke, hombre.” Josh says so softly that for a moment Vas thinks he only thought it.

  
Vas turns around and tries to soothe his face into something less manic. Takes a deep breath, then: “You scared me.”

  
“I-“

  
But now that the first bit is out it’s hard for Vas to stop himself. “You fought the entire time since you showed up and then the first available moment you have to sacrifice yourself, you do.” Vas walks to the foot of the bed and grips his medallion tightly that he wonders if he’ll draw blood. “You take on a Mark X by yourself and your only way to fight it, instead of getting anyone else, is to blow it _and_ yourself up.”

  
Faraday opens his mouth but Vas continues over him. He can hear what Faraday wants to say and he knows he has to speak first or he won't be able to get it out. “I found you, I was so scared. I thought you were going to die thinking I hated you.”  
He drops off into silence and runs both his hands through his hair pulling sharply in the hopes that he can stave off his impending panic. 

  
“Will you come here?” Faraday, Joshua, asks and it’s like he’s suddenly gained Emma’s voice, because there is no way Vasquez could ignore that request.

  
Alejandro practically launches himself onto the bed while still taking care of minding Joshua’s stilling healing injuries. 

  
“How are you?” Josh asks once they get settled.

  
Vas releases a harsh laugh. “I’m fine.” 

  
Josh raises an eyebrow in a direct copy of Sam. “I find that hard to believe.”

  
“I wasn’t just released from the hospital after just two weeks.” Vasquez retorts quickly.

  
“You forget I have to live with my mutation all the time until you took it away you greedy bastard.” This last bit is softened with a jab to the side until Josh is tucked against him to his liking. 

  
“Your father is an asshole.” Vas admits even as he swats away the voice before it can start again.

  
That startles a laugh out of Joshua. “Yeah he wasn’t too pleasant in life either.”

  
“I remember you saying.” Vasquez mutters into the ginger hair by his mouth.

  
He recognises that this should be strange. That after the two of them being so estranged for so long they should take things slow, but he has to admit that it feels right just jumping back in where things left off, and he knows Josh feels the same as well.   
They sit in silence for awhile, the quiet sounds of the others in the house lulling them into something close to a doze. 

  
It’s not until Emma comes in with their dinner that they think to untangle themselves. “Leave it.” She says and it’s not an order, but when Emma Cullen says something you listen. 

  
“Well?” Joshua challenges, expecting her to have something to say. Some opinion on the matter.

  
She rolls her eyes affectionately and hands each one a plate before settling on the foot of the bed. “Thank fuck.”

  
That prompts them all to cackle been though it’s not funny in the slightest. 

  
“You figure out how to give me back my mutation?” Josh asks after he hands Vas his plate to put on the floor beside the bed. If Emma has any qualms with their manners as house guests she doesn’t say anything. 

  
Vas shrugs. “I was just planning on asking Xavier to be honest.” At that Emma smacks his foot. “Hey!”

  
“Fucking idiot.” She turns to Josh, “if you want it back before you go back to The Mansion I can just tell him to.”

  
Josh and Vas exchange a look. Emma rolls her eyes and looks like she wants to smack both of them but settles for just hitting Vas. “OW! Stop it. How does Matthew put up with you?”

  
“I don’t annoy her.” The healer says as he enters the room and closes it behind him. “Time for your pills Josh.” He orders and it’s the look from Emma that prevents Joshua from putting up any argument.

  
“Hate this.” Josh grumbles after swallowing an impressive number of pills.

  
Emma pats his leg affectionately but it’s Matthew who scoffs and rolls his eyes. “From what Sam’s said you haven’t had anyone taking care of you in ten years, let us do our piece.” 

  
That sobers up Faraday who shrinks in on himself until he looks up and glances at them all in the eye. “Sorry ‘bout that.” He says and before anyone can say anything he’s rushing out, “I already apologized to Emma but I shouldn’t have done that, I should have told you guys where I was going. I mean I didn’t really know where I was going to-“

  
“Josh-“

  
“Had to sell my motorcycle-“

  
“Faraday-“

  
“Got a shit job and when I realised my mistake-“

  
“Guero!” That shuts Josh up. “Apology accepted.” Vas says.

  
“Stop getting worked up, secondly, unless you want to go back to Dr. Sarassa.” Matthew chimes in, and that subdues Josh even further.

 

  
“Third of all,” Emma finishes, “welcome home.”  
Faraday’s green eyes begin to shine and he starts blinking rapidly. He starts a watery laugh as Vas pulls him back into his side. ”Ya’ll are gonna make me blush.”

  
“Too late.” Vas says knowingly not only because he can see the tips of the man’s ears but also his thoughts.

  
“Red as a tomato.” Emma adds and Vasquez swears he can feel Faraday’s face heat hotter from where he tucks it into Vasquez’s shoulder to hide.

  
With Emma they’ll get Faraday his mutation back. Faraday will be back home. With the others safe downstairs, and his immediate family enjoying themselves together for the first time in a decade, Vasquez feels a warmth in the pit of his stomach that he feels echoes from the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about powers ex machina huh? Yeah I got a little lazy with plot at the end, sorry bout that.   
> BUT HEY ITS DONE!!! :( I am both happy and sad this is the biggest written project I've ever taken on.  
> I have a few more ideas for stories in this universe so subscribe to the series maybe if you want updates (shrug)   
> Also let me know how you enjoyed this chapter and the fic as a whole! Much love to everyone who stuck around and encouraged me xxx

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be posting the rest of the story over the next week or so, it's all written it just has to be edited and I will do that as I finish, but probably not until after Monday because I'm flying back to the States this weekend.
> 
> ART BY: decoy-ocelot.tumblr.com  
> Thank you so much for being so lovely xxx


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